When I tell you I was SHOCKED when that PLOT twist hit! I LOVE a good thriller and this book had so many twists and turns. I really thought I had it figured out and then the author said SIKE! This was def a 10/10! I can see the thriller side of booktok devouring this read!
I am a huge audiobook listener and this audio was done so well! I loved all the multiple POVs !
Thank you so much NetGalley for approving me for this ARC!

This was a lot deeper than I expected! At surface level it’s a story about a party that goes awry but really it deals with secrets, loss, alcoholism, the challenges of parenting, and gaslighting.

The audiobook narrators did a great job of putting me in the story and I binged this in a couple days.

Would definitely love to read more from this author in the future!

This was a fun, twisty thriller about a death that happens during a sweet sixteen birthday party. I really enjoyed the audio book, which had different voice actors for each of the characters (something I love for multi-povs). This is one of those stories where you know a death is coming, but you don't know which character is going to die. I figured out one of the "twists" (it's not quite the right word, but I can't think of the word I want right now) about halfway through, which led me to suspect who are victim was going to be, but it didn't dampen my enjoyment. I also legit gasped at one point. The one thing I will say is that the ending is SO similar to the ending of another thriller which felt kind of weird. Regardless, this was fun, and I would recommend.

Party of Liars mainly takes place during Sophie's lavish sweet sixteenth birthday party at her father and stepmother's ginormous mansion perched up high on the hill. Everyone in the town has shown up, mostly to snoop inside the recently renovated mansion upon the hill-- a mansion fraught with intrigue and rumored to be haunted by 'The Mother'.

With a premise like this, author Kelsey Cox builds on the eeriness and suspense, introducing us to a handful of characters, all seemingly harboring secrets of their own. The story is told in alternating POVs between Dani (Sophie's young stepmother and new mom of baby Charlotte), Oralaith (the suspicious Irish nanny), Mikayla (Sophie's insecure best friend), and Kim (the grudge holding ex wife/Sophie's mom). The storyline bounces around between 'before', 'during' and 'after' the party, which helps build on the multiple storylines, eventually converging into one satisfying conclusion.

We learn in the very beginning that someone has fallen to their death during the busy party, similar in fate to 'the mother' decades before, but we do not learn who has died and who may be the killer until the very last chapters. The weaving of multiple storylines and timelines was ambitious yet executed brilliantly by Cox. The author planted seeds of doubt and suspicion throughout this slow burn of a psychological thriller across an entirely unlikeable cast of possible victims and/or suspects. While a few things I suspected along the way came to fruition, there were still many more surprises that I didn't see coming by the time I was finished.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again-- I'm a sucker for an audio production involving multiple narrators. The production of Party of Liars delivered on this front, with five different narrators who each did a fantastic job bringing their respective characters to life!

This is my first experience with this author and overall I was impressed with story. The author did a nice job portraying the struggles of parenting teens and was able to combine just enough mystery and suspense to the plot. I listened to the audio version and the production did a lovely job. It was easy to listen to and the narration was at a steady smooth pace.

I really enjoyed Party Liars. It pulled me in right away with all the secrets, drama, and twists I didn’t see coming. Such a fun and addictive read, I couldn’t put it down.

Very standard thriller. Not one I will remember for long.

Sophie's 16th birthday bash ends with a body falls from a balcony. And we're left to figure out who died. And was it an accident, or did another guest kill them?

Overall I felt like the story was well written and the cast of characters was good, but the mystery part just fell flat. There was a bit of a paranormal hint to the book that panned into nothing and I didn't feel like the twists were well written. I also just felt extremely disappointed with the ending and how it left the characters.

The audiobook was well done with multiple narrators.

I love a good mystery book, so it was pretty easy to want to request this one.  It's been a while since I read one with multiple points of view, and so that was a real stand out feature of this book.  It's always fun to wonder which characters you can trust and to wonder who exactly is telling the truth.  This was an absolute perfect example of that.

Each of the characters brought something different to the story, and their unique perspective kept me engaged.  I would get to the end of one chapter and want to know what was happening with them more, so I would have to keep reading in order to find out.  However, then the next perspective would keep me just as engaged.  It made for a read that was very hard to put down.

Sometimes, with a mystery, I'm able to guess what will happen next, but I can honestly say that this one kept me completely guessing.  I fell into the trap of trusting the narrators too completely and they duped me.  I was suspicious of the wrong people, and I really did not expect the outcome of the final story.  It was very well-plotted.

I think that my favourite perspective to read from was Dani's.  I found her the most interesting with how she felt that she was going mad because of the way she was being told that she was going crazy.  I really felt for her when no one was willing to believe her in what she had seen, and then simply dismissed her.  However, the other characters were just as interesting and just as compelling.

Overall, I had a great time reading this book.  It was so fun and twisty.  If you like compelling mysteries, I highly recommend this one.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I wasn't expecting it to be so fun, but I was happy to be surprised! I did guess a significant twist pretty early on, but that didn't hinder the story for me. Overall, a really fun thriller that happens mostly over the course of one party.

Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive.

This multi-POV and multi-timeline thriller has all of the right elements - a cast of troubled but (some) likable characters, hidden motives, secrets, and a mystery at it's core. I appreciated the pacing of the book, as it moves from different characters and timelines. I figured out part of the reveal but not all of it and enjoyed playing along.

The narration was great as well.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for a free copy of #PartyOfLiars by Kelsey Cox. All opinions are my own.

The multiple narrators made this a super enjoyable listen! Kept me engaged the whole time but WHEW that twist near the end had me listening until I finished it! Really enjoyed this one!!

This book was such a blast to read — totally addictive from the start! The characters were the best part for me. Dani, the anxious new stepmom, had me rooting for her even when things got messy. And Kim? She’s the kind of ex-wife you love to hate. Órlaith added this eerie, almost supernatural vibe that made everything feel even more tense. Everyone had secrets, and it was so fun watching it all unravel. If you love thrillers with messy, layered characters and lots of juicy drama, you’ll fly through this one.

Thank you Kelsey Cox, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

"Party of Liars" was such a pleasant surprise! I don’t usually go into mystery/thrillers with high expectations—mainly because I read them for the book discussions I run (my patrons love them!) rather than for personal enjoyment. But this one completely exceeded expectations.

Kelsey Cox masterfully kept me guessing from start to finish. Just when I was 100% sure I had things figured out, she flipped everything on its head. The twists genuinely caught me off guard, which doesn’t happen often.

I also really enjoyed the full cast of narrators. With so many different points of view in the story, it made a huge difference to hear each character come to life in their own voice. It added clarity and immersion that made the audiobook even more compelling.

Highly recommend this one if you’re looking for a twisty, well-executed mystery with great narration.

Thank you to Kelsey Cox, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Someone will die at Sophie Matthew's party to celebrate her Sweet Sixteenth. Her father has spared no expense with an over the top, black- tie bash at his renovated cliffside mansion. Just before the candles are blown out on Sophie's cake, a body falls from the balcony. This book is written like a murder mystery and is told from multiple points of view. It had me guessing up until the very end with this whodunit. It moved a bit slow for me and it wasn't until the last 20% or so that it picked up.

Overall, I enjoyed the narration. The voices fit the characters very well. I especially enjoyed Mikayla and her Texas accent as well as Orlaith's Irish accent. 3.5 stars

Wow! This was soooo not what I was expecting. Party of Liars is not just an elaborate ‘Sweet 16’ birthday party goes wrong. This is fast paced with multiple POVs and identified timelines. Pay attention! There’s lots going on and a lot of characters to keep track of; they all play significant roles. The ending caught me by surprise! Grab a glass of your favourite beverage and prepare for quite a party.
The audiobook narration is done by multiple people. The narration is clear, well paced and easy to listen to but make sure you’re paying attention- there’s a lot going on.
-I had the good fortune of receiving the audiobook as well as an invite to read the ebook. I alternated between listening and reading. Although I often tend to favour listening to the audiobook, this time I found reading the text made it easier to keep everyone and everything going on straight.
Thank You to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this ARC.

Party of Liars was a wild ride from start to finish. Kelsey Cox does a great job layering secrets, lies, and unexpected twists that kept me flipping pages late into the night. The drama was juicy, the characters were messy in all the right ways, and the ending definitely delivered. I took off one star because a couple of the characters could’ve been developed a bit more, but overall, it was a super entertaining and binge-worthy read. Perfect if you love your thrillers with a side of scandal.

Party of Liars, written by Kelsey Cox, voiced by a multicast of talented narrators, is an audiobook that held my full attention for an entire day. Once I started listening, I just could not stop. The twists and turns were always surprising—I did not guess the ending, even though I was trying to the whole time. Perfectly plotted!!! Dani was my absolute favorite character, I keep thinking about her like she's a real person and wondering how she's doing now. I can't believe this is Cox's debut novel!! Highly recommend!!!!

This book was better than I expected! The audio was amazing, with its unexpected pops and twists. It’s a mix of everything—lies, betrayal, mystery, suspense, and a unique blend of a young adult and motherhood perspective. While there are moments that might feel a bit unnecessary, they likely serve to keep you guessing and build curiosity. You’re hooked the entire time, and just when you think you've figured it out, another twist is revealed at the very end!


Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC

This ten-gallon thriller proves that everything is bigger in Texas, including the revenge we seek.

Kelsey Cox's debut novel, Party of Liars, is a bang-on pick for fans of Lucy Foley: Start with a glossy manor with a macabre past. Enter a lavish party where it feels like the whole town has arrived. But unlike Foley's English, rural, contemporary-yet-Christie-esque settings, let's kick this one off in Texas, where the celebration revolves around a Sweet Sixteen dripping in excess. Our narrators all orbit around Sophie Matthew on her special day: There's her mother, the drunk divorcee, Kim. There's Mikayla, her best friend with a dark secret. There's her stepmother, the much younger and trendier Dani. And there's Orlaith, Sophie's (muuuuuch younger) half-sister's nanny. As the guests, all dolled up and ready to get liquored up, roll into Sophie's dad's house for her soiree, it becomes clear that not everyone has arrived with the best intentions. Someone knows a dark secret in the Matthews household. And murder is the only way to fix the problem.

I've already mentioned above that Foley fans will find much to savor here, and if I have any note on this one, its that perhaps, structurally, this novel is almost a Foley knock-off, with a revolving door of suspicious narrators, a dead body whose identity remains unknown, and a tense build-up to the explosive end where the victim's actions are revealed to be great motivation for any of the characters to be vengeful. BUT, to that same (almost) criticism, there is flattery in imitating something great for genre fiction readers. After all, much like Foley's The Guest List, this one does leave you truly guessing. When the pieces start to come together, it's a delicious reveal. And the final pages offer an explosive twist that makes the story even more rewarding. This novel's last third is by far its strongest, leaving readers with a super satisfying popcorn thrill ride that suggests that Cox, just starting out, could have a big career in publishing ahead of her.

Party of Liars is easily one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far—and I’m already on book 42!

This book has everything: multiple POVs, nonstop twists and turns, a notorious haunted house, suspense for days, and a Sweet 16 party that turns deadly.

You’ll constantly be questioning what’s real, who you can trust, and what everyone’s hiding. I spent the entire book guessing who dies and who the killer is—and the possibilities had my head spinning. I was still unsure until the very end when it all came together.

This is going to be the perfect summer thriller, and I seriously can’t wait for everyone to read it. It’s just that good. 🔪📚✨

I'm also blown away that this is a DEBUT!!! So pumped for more amazing books from this author!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, & Kelsey Cox for this audio ARC