The Engagement Party

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

A new Agatha Christie/ locked room inspired story. I honestly could read them forever.

Kane has created a perfect gothic atmosphere on an island with a flooded causeway, a blinding storm and no phone or email access. On this island some strangers and some old college friends have gathered to celebrate upcoming nuptials. Stories about a friend who died during college come up as well as the resulting collateral damage. Join the party as they start to realize that everyone has secrets to and there truly is nowhere to hide.
If you like a locked room, a gothic atmosphere or are just looking for a creepy twisty thriller, The Engagement Party is for you! #WilliamMorro #TheEngagementParty #DarbyKane

I just want to start off by saying Darby Kane is life.

Booksta has introduced me to some incredible people but this chick right here is a cherry pie

This book is a bloodbath . This was by far the most gruesome of all her books, and let me tell you, I have loved and read them all multiple times

The storyline is just explosive. I thought I had it all figured out 50 percent in but In true Kane fashion she threw me for a curve .

These characters all need to be spanked . I’m not going to sugar cost it : I hated them all but that’s how amazing Kane is, you feel every emotion she wants you to feel.

The passion is indescribable .

If I could make out with a book, it would be this one . This is every slasher fans wet dream . Darby Kane is literary the best thing that happened to the bookie community . Don’t believe me? Check out this teaser :

And Then There Were None meets I Know What You Did Last Summer in #1 international bestseller Darby Kane’s latest gripping and twisty thriller set on a private island in Maine where secrets piled upon secrets and lies upon lies are all revealed in one fateful weekend.

Emily Hunt went missing from her affluent liberal arts school on graduation weekend. Her body was found floating in a river, and a quiet loner who most people on campus really didn’t know committed suicide. A tenuous link—one text—bound the two dead students together and was enough for law enforcement to close the case. But they got it wrong and now someone is determined to set it right.

Twelve years later, college friends gather to celebrate an engagement over a long overdue getaway on a swanky private island in Maine—with only one way in and one way out. Sierra Prescott, invited as a guest and unconnected to past events, is the only person who soon senses not all is what it seems.

The tension in the air is ignited when they find a dead man in the trunk of a car with a note: time to tell the truth. And things only get worse. As a torrential storm strands them together, the group’s buried stories begin to surface and secrets are bartered. To survive this deadly party, they’ll need to stop a killer before they become prey.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, revenge, A great who done it, and some really crazy twists and turns that i did not see coming! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

12 years ago at their college graduation party Emily goes missing and is found dead shortly after. Were her friends involved, do they know what happened to Emily or…

This is a great novel about college friends that meet up 12 years after graduation for an engagement party weekend. The location is a private island in Maine where they can park and take golf carts over to the island before the high tide.

The twists and turns never stop even going until the very end. A must read for mystery, thriller, suspense lovers.

Darby Kane's latest offering is a deliciously vicious tale of friendship gone awry. The secrets in this group have threatened to tear them apart for a long time now, and justice is finally coming. The question is: at whose hand? A thoroughly engrossing thriller. Readers won't want to miss this one!

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane.

I honestly thought that I had read books by the best authors out there but now I can add Darby Kane to my list of the best of the best. I love psychological thrillers and this one does not disappoint. It has everything that makes a thriller a thriller. Private Island, college friends, and a storm of a lifetime. Then the coupe de grace…..a dead man in a trunk with a note to tell the truth. What is the truth? Someone knows more than they want to let on and it may be all of them. You will definitely dislike the characters but that gives character to the book. I am honestly not even sure if I can say anything that will do justice to this book. It is indescribable how it sucks you in and takes you on a ride that will have your head spinning with the murders, mysteries and revenge. There is no way to predict any part of it. The ending, oh the ending…… explosive as hell. But don’t take my word for it. You need to read this book. Darby Kane………I love you! You absolutely ROCK!


5+++++ stars out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Wow, this was just great! Started at 60 mph and just accelerated from there. Twist after twist after twist. I read it almost non-stop in one day.

Darby Kane does it again! This time inspired by a locked room (in this case locked island) mystery. College Friends coming together for an engagement party but they share an experience of the murder of their close friend at graduation. You won't have this one figured out, and even when it's clear, the last chapter is a big surprise.

Wow wow wow! This was my second Darby Kane book and it was a wild ride.

This book started out fast and didn’t let up one bit. The story felt almost like it could be a movie - “I Know What You Did 12 Years Ago” as the book revolves around two deaths that occurred in college and the group of friends who will go to great lengths to keep a secret.

The book is told in three points of view, always a plus, and takes place on a remote island, for an engagement party. What starts as a little reunion, turns into a who-done-it as the body count starts to rise. Just when you think you figure out what’s going on, Kane throws a twists you don’t expect, even at the very end. I really only liked one character, the rest were very easy to hate once you start learning their backgrounds, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good book!

Overall, this was a fast, entertaining read that I would highly recommend.

(Note: There were a few pages where Alex was referred to as Alec.)

For the first time in twelve years, a group of college friends meets up to celebrate an engagement on a private island in Maine. The only way in and out of the island is through a causeway that isn’t available to cross at night.

Soon after arriving, the group discovers a dead body in the trunk of a car and they realize that a killer is on the loose. Is the killer one of them or is someone else lurking in the shadows? To make matters worse, a storm is coming and several people in the group are hiding some dangerous secrets.

The Engagement Party is a modern twist on Agatha Christie’s classic, And Then There Were None. As soon as I began reading, I could not put this one down. I completely devoured this propulsive thriller in less than 24 hours! I'm a huge fan of Darby Kane and I knew this one would be great. I had so much fun playing detective and trying to figure out the whodunit parts before it was revealed. This fast-paced, locked room mystery had me on the edge of my seat with its game of cat and mouse.

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane will be available on December 5. Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley as the gifted copy!

Really excited about this book. It was an Absolutely phenomenal read. High will recommend to others to pick up as soon as it is released.

I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting! I love whodunnits this was a good one. I couldn’t predict where it was going and enjoyed the ride.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Another read left me in limbo: should I like this book or should I hate the guts of each character and wish them painful deaths? I went back and forth between three and four stars during my reading journey. I simply weighed the pros and cons to decide on my verdict.

Here are the pros:

Despite the mixed feelings I had throughout my reading journey, I must commend the book for its captivating and promising premise. The blend of a locked room mystery and elements of suspense from "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (or rather, "I Know What You Did 20 Years Ago") created an enticing storyline that initially captured my attention. I appreciate the author's ambition in attempting to deliver a suspenseful and thrilling narrative.

Moreover, having read Darby Kent's previous book, I was already acquainted with her writing style and found it enjoyable. Her ability to weave words together in a captivating manner motivated me to explore her latest work. I appreciate authors who can maintain consistency in their writing, and Kent certainly possesses that talent.

The book's strengths lie in its riveting whodunnit concept, which successfully builds escalating pressure and maintains a heart-throbbing pace. The twisty and smart ending, when executed well, adds an extra layer of satisfaction for readers invested in solving the mystery. I commend the author for delivering on these aspects and providing a gratifying conclusion.

Here are the cons:

However, there are certain drawbacks that hindered my overall enjoyment of the book. One significant issue was the presence of numerous unlikeable characters. I found it difficult to muster enough interest to care about their individual fates, except for Sierra, who is a colleague of Mitch. Sierra's attendance at the engagement party, despite never having met Mitch's irritating friends before, struck me as puzzling. I felt compelled to shake some sense into her and warn her about wasting her time with someone like Mitch. His enigmatic nature, combined with the absence of his own narration, left us with little insight into his true character. Is he a secret psychopath with a cursed genetic inheritance from his family, or is he simply a creepy and brooding individual? The lack of information made it challenging to form a solid opinion. I understand Sierra's savior complex and her protective instincts, given her own family situation, but I did not find Mitch particularly appealing thus far.

Additionally, the other narrations, such as Ruthie's perspective on her whirlwind romance with Will, and Alex's account of his marriage to the manipulative Cassie, lacked depth. The characters felt one-dimensional, lacking the necessary development to elicit empathy or understanding. Will's robotic demeanor and the absence of emotional reactions from him made it difficult to comprehend his motivations. Similarly, Cassie's portrayal as a B-list movie villainess lacked nuance, reducing her character to a stereotypical archetype. I found it challenging to fully connect with these characters due to the limited insights provided.

Furthermore, the pacing in the second half of the book became a stumbling block to my reading experience. While the opening was gripping and effectively set the stage, with the characters introduced amidst a claustrophobic and isolated environment, the momentum faltered as the story progressed. Repetitive moments and a dragging pace diminished the suspense and created moments of frustration. I found myself yearning for a tighter narrative and wished for a reduction in the book's length by 20-30 pages to maintain a more engaging and heart-throbbing mystery.

In the end, I have decided to give the book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for its intriguing and promising Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit mystery concept and well-executed wrap-up.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to NetGalley and William Morrow / William Morrow Paperbacks for generously sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to engage with and review books in advance, and I am thankful for their support in fostering an environment where readers can share their opinions.

Darby Kane is one of my go-to authors on psychological thriller/domestic suspense and it's for a great reason. Love her books!

My love for locked-room and stranded somewhere with only one way in and one way out thriller books got so much higher since I read this arc by Darby Kane.
Darby Kane did not fail at this book with alternating perspectives and twist after twist this read grips you in from the very first page to the last.
After Emily hunt is murdered 12 years ago, college friends get to together to celebrate a engagement party on a private island in Maine to what they thought was a simple get away turned into something more devious when they found a dead man in a trunk with a note that says “time to tell the truth” secrets can only be buried for so long till it rises to the surface, when I say this book is a thriller lovers dream I mean it

🇧​​🇴​​🇴​​🇰​ ​🇷​​🇪​​🇻​​🇮​​🇪​​🇼​

Thank you to William Morrow, NetGalley, and Darby Kane for this ARC! It comes out a day before my birthday, 12/05/23!

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲 Thriller/Suspense
𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 The Engagement Party
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 Darby Kane
𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆
Emily Hunt went missing from her affluent liberal arts school on graduation weekend. Her body was found floating in a river, and a quiet loner who most people on campus really didn’t know committed suicide. A tenuous link—one text—bound the two dead students together and was enough for law enforcement to close the case. But they got it wrong and now someone is determined to set it right.

Twelve years later, college friends gather to celebrate an engagement over a long overdue getaway on a swanky private island in Maine—with only one way in and one way out. Sierra Prescott, invited as a guest and unconnected to past events, is the only person who soon senses not all is what it seems.

The tension in the air is ignited when they find a dead man in the trunk of a car with a note: time to tell the truth. And things only get worse. As a torrential storm strands them together, the group’s buried stories begin to surface and secrets are bartered. To survive this deadly party, they’ll need to stop a killer before they become prey.

𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
𝟭. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 4/5
𝟮. 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 5/5
𝟯. 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 4/5
𝟰. 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 5/5
𝟱. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 5/5

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 4.6 (rounded to 5)

𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
This was such a quick and fun read! I loved “Pretty Little Wife” by Darby Kane and when this popped up on my feed I knew I had to request the ARC! I LOVE a locked-room mystery and this fit the bill but with an exciting modern twist — internet sleuths. While digital detectives can certainly help a case (finding missing clues, spreading the word, etc.) this book shows how easily they can hurt a case and others when they get too invested! The only con about this book is that I wish the end was wrapped up a tiny bit more. I am pretty sure I “know” who is writing the book notes but I wish she would’ve come right out and said it — maybe as the last line! I really enjoyed the Author’s Note in this as Darby thanks her readers and it was a nice little pat on the back for being a literature lover!!

Song Pairing: Haunted by Taylor Swift

So fantastic, thrilling and endlessly readable. I did not want to put it down at any time. Darby Kane is an author I will always recommend.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

In this creepy locked door mystery, a group of friends reunite to celebrate an engagement. Each person is hiding things and keeping secrets, but they’ll be forced to come to light over the course of the weekend. The mystery began with an untimely death (and possible murder) of their friend Emily on graduation weekend, but there are other connections to the past that keep coming up. Notes of warning appear, someone is creeping around the property, and the tide has risen so no one can leave the island. Will the truth come out?

This book gives vibes from I Know What You Did Last Summer, Agatha Christie, and Daisy Darker. The setting of an island at high tide is perfect, and the storm makes it atmospherically creepy. There are twists and red herrings throughout, making the final reveal very difficult to guess. The characters are all unlikable and one in particular is over the top in her villain portrayal. Despite that, I enjoyed this thriller and would recommend it to those who enjoy an atmospheric locked door mystery.

Thank you to Darby Kane, William Morrow, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Kane's a powerhouse writer in my opinion and I could not wait to read the latest book so thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars. It kept my attention most of the time and I liked the thrilling parts but the others felt just ok to me. I think I would go back and read it again at a different point.

Darby Kane’s upcoming The Engagement Party is full of chaos and deception. It was an incredible yet disastrous roller coaster of twists and turns as a group of old college friends gathered to celebrate one of them getting married. The proposal was quick. The location is remote. The group is anxious. Someone is dead.

I absolutely devoured this book. It read so fast; I could barely keep up. I remember liking the author’s other book, Pretty Little Wife, so I knew immediately what was in store. The number of twisty happenings kept me guessing and each time I thought I knew who was the killer, I was wrong. The tension kept building all the way to the very end.

I recommend this to anyone who loves piecing together a multifaceted puzzle of whodunit.

The friends you make in college could potentially be your best friends for life, or you can be forced to stay friends because of your choices. Emily Hunt had many male friends and seemed to collect them like a hobby but is this what lead to her death?

Fast forward to the present Will is finally getting married to Ruthie and they have invited everyone to join them on a private island on the coast of Maine. No way on the island except to come at low tide once you are there you're there until low tide again.

Cassie & Alex have been together since college, respected lawyers and parents to Zara. Mitch and Sierra tagged along with them for the trip against all their better judgements no-one wanted to go and rehash what happened years ago. After all these years of protecting one another this could be the weekend to tear them apart,

As the weekend unfolds trust and suspicion as to what the real motive for this weekend comes to light. A coastal storm knocks out power (or so they thought), there is more than one dead body and everyone is a suspect. Until Dylan shows up out of nowhere and threatens to clean house.

Twists and turns, back and forth in time had you on your toes trying to really figure out what happened to Emily oh and let's not forget Brendan who also was found dead all those years ago.

I was given this ARC for my honest review from @Netgalley and @DarbyKane with @HarperCollinsPublishers. The Engagement party is Due out on December 5, 2023. I really enjoyed this story line living on the New England coast myself I could visualize where this was taking place, the only thing I would have to say was I wished that it ended a bit sooner, I pushed through the last few chapters more so to find out the real backstory. However in the end I was surprised by what I found out and was glad I pushed through.

Four friends from college reunite for an engagement party, but things turn deadly and it becomes clear someone wants answers to the unsolved murder of their friend. Sierra, the main character, is the only one with no connection to the murder. This is a very gripping, suspenseful book, with lots of threads to unravel, and I was glued to the pages. The red herring from Mitch's past and Ruthie's motivations felt a little opaque to me at the end, but I did love how convincingly Darby Kane planted false leads and misdirection, and it was a very satisfying conclusion.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I could not stop reading it. My first Darby Kane novel and it will not be my last. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy for a honest review.

A group of friends with many secrets are invited to an engagement party on a remote private island. Old secrets resurface and new secrets emerge, the twists keep coming!

What a wild book! It was read at breakneck speed, because like all Darby Kane books...the twists were so good!
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

College friends are invited to an engagement party on an island. Ruthie is engaged to Will, Will went to school with Cassie and Alex (now married) and Mitch who brought Sierra as a guest. Right from the beginning we know that there are a lot of secrets and the “friends” do not want to share them.

The first half of the book dragged for me a bit. The second half was better, but it was a pain trying to keep track of all the stories that were being told. We got there in the end but it was too convoluted and had a few too many twists for me.

Overall, not a bad book but not for me. If you like always guessing and not liking most characters, you might be into this story.

Darby Kane? Say no more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I need Darby Kane to start getting some more credit because I have yet to read a book by her I haven't loved.

The Engagement Party is her upcoming release and follows a friend group that is coming together for, you guessed it, an engagement party years after their graduation celebration comes to a horrific end.

I know that synopsis sounds like a million other thrillers you've read before, but I promise this one shines.

Friend group reunion is my absolute favorite trope to read in thrillers so I was hooked right from the beginning. But what I love about all of Darby Kane's books is how mean they are. And I mean that in the best way possible. The characters are flawed, there is always a ton of gruesome violence, and you really feel like there's something at stake for the people you're reading about.

Not to mention this books has a jaw-dropping twist that I quite literally gasped at. You should read it for that reveal alone.

I kept getting the characters mixed up in my head so I got a little confused in the beginning, but it was a wild ride from there.

The Engagement Party comes out December 5,2023. Thank you to @hkdimon and @thrillerbookloverspromotions for the advance copy.

If you don't want to wait until December, check out The Replacement Wife, my favorite Darby Kane

Who killed Emily Hunt all those years ago? Secrets have a way of festering no matter how long they're kept, and when Sierra is invited to a posh wedding in Maine, she doesn't realize the tensions, resentments and obsessions going back decades. As the killer makes moves to ensure the wrong person continues to be blamed, Sierra inadvertently dives into the heart of the old murder. A tense story for thriller lovers!

Oh I love a locked room murder mystery. This was absolutely nail bitting unputdownable gripping thriller. I loved this!
I just reviewed The Engagement Party by Darby Kane. #TheEngagementParty #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I have read every book by Darby Kane, so I was super excited to read her latest - the engagement party. I loved how it was told from multiple viewpoints and you had to keep learning about the past to understand stand what was going on. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning and had my up late reading it. I highly recommend you check out this thriller.

A group of college friends meet up for the first time in twelve years in order to celebrate an engagement. Soon after they arrive on the secluded island, they find a dead body in the trunk of a car. A storm is coming in, and there is no way to cross back to the main land until the tide goes back down. To make matters worse, as the storm rages, they also lose power. We soon begin to learn that some people are hiding secrets, and they will soon be forced to explain everything.

This locked room mystery had some “And Then There Were None” elements from the famous Agatha Christie book. Fast paced and easy to read! I devoured this one in a single day. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

The Dedication is so touching and epigraph is thought provoking. Unexpected and unthinkable happens in this book. There are different characters and the book has been narrated from each of their POV.

After 12 years a group of friends gathers on a remote island for an engagement party but secrets from past are binding them and the prevailing mystery on island seems to have some connection with the Emily’s Murder that happened 12 years ago on a graduation weekend. While what’s most shocking is each of them is harbouring a secret of their own and when the secrets unveils, they buried truths also find their way out.

The more you will delve in the book, the more you will find yourself engulfed in secrets, murder mystery, suspicion, mystery of island and complex web of relationships. The truth is twisted and with unexpected twists, it will keep you guessing till the end.

You can expect the following:

•Atmospheric setting
•Killer on Loose
•Secrets from Past
•Buried Truth
•Vibes like When There Were None
•Brilliant Whodunnit
•Murder Mysteries
•Shocking Revelations
•Complex Relationships
•Suspense & slow-burn mystery
•Twists and Turns
•Alternating POV

Thank you Netgalley, Author and Publisher.

This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read recently. It is filled with ugly secrets, an unknown killer, treacherous weather and a stranger in the midst.

The story is told in multiple short chapters, each from a different point of view. Five college friends travel to an island to celebrate the engagement of one of their friends. Nobody has met the fiancée and all are surprised that Will, the friend, is engaged after such a short courtship. From the very beginning, things don’t seem quite right. Who is Ruthie, the fiancée? And who is the dead man in the garage?

This is a must read for anyone who loves a great locked-room thriller. It has the rising suspense level and the whodunnit factor. I rate this book four stars and highly recommend it. Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. This is due to be published on December 5, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley, Darby Kane and William Morrow for a digital ARC of The Engagement Party in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own (except for any quotations) and may not be reproduced.

“Emily Hunt went missing from her affluent liberal arts school on graduation weekend. Her body was found floating in a river, and a quiet loner who most people on campus really didn’t know committed suicide. A tenuous link—one text—bound the two dead students together and was enough for law enforcement to close the case. But they got it wrong and now someone is determined to set it right.

Twelve years later, college friends gather to celebrate an engagement over a long overdue getaway on a swanky private island in Maine—with only one way in and one way out. Sierra Prescott, invited as a guest and unconnected to past events, is the only person who soon senses not all is what it seems.

The tension in the air is ignited when they find a dead man in the trunk of a car with a note: time to tell the truth. And things only get worse. As a torrential storm strands them together, the group’s buried stories begin to surface and secrets are bartered. To survive this deadly party, they’ll need to stop a killer before they become prey.”

I’m a Darby Kane fan, so I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to provide an early review of her new thriller!

This reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”

I wasn’t a huge fan of really any of the characters, but I’m pretty sure, that’s kind of the point.

The pacing was great – it was a quick easy read. I did feel that it was a bit repetitive in some areas, but overall, I am giving it 4 stars. I do like some over her previous work better, but this was a solid read!

I absolutely loved this locked room thriller!

These college friends haven’t seen each other sense graduation weekend & they aren’t to thrilled about this weekend get together in fear of old secrets coming to light. But that’s exactly what the hostess is hoping will happen. However her plan isn’t the only one causing disruption on this weekend trip. Who is truly the victim here and who’s the sinister mastermind behind the murders?

Loved how I couldn’t fully guess who was the bad guy in this thriller and there was sooo many turns it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Obsessed with Darby kane qnd this book was so so good! Loved the plot and characters, highly recommend for a good summer thriller read! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Emily was murdered on the weekend of her college graduation. The police closed the case, but not everyone believed the police got it right.

12 years later, an invitation arrives in the mail. Emily’s friends are summoned to celebrate an engagement party on a private island in Maine. However, everything is not what it seems and the guests quickly realize that someone is out for revenge. No one is safe, and everyone is stuck…

Read this if you like:
* Locked Room Thrillers
* Multiple POVs
* I Know What You Did Last Summer
* Agatha Christie
* Atmospheric Settings
* Short chapters

I sped through this one in two days. I loved the short chapters, the twists, and the atmospheric setting. The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, “I really hope this gets made into a mini-series” because it was so well paced and the setting was sooo creepy, in the best way!

Masterful storytelling creates an atmosphere of suspense and tension, with twists and turns that leave you guessing until the very end. The well-developed characters are complex and intriguing, adding depth to the thrilling plot. The pacing is relentless, never giving you a moment to catch your breath, making this book an exhilarating and addictive reading experience for all fans of the genre.

Entertaining plot with a number of good and villainous characters. The plot twists actually were surprising, although it did sag a bit in the middle. The ending more than made up for any slowness, with a truly gripping last third.

“Time to tell the truth”

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane was just the thriller I needed to get me out of this slump I’ve been in.
Kane has crafted a fast paced story with alternating POVs.
I loved how she did the different POVs of Sierra, Ruthie and Alex. The three characters telling their side of the story was intriguing and kept me turning those short chapters as quickly as I could. I liked that it allowed me to get everyone’s viewpoints.
With complex characters (some likable and others not so much), all the suspense and an incredibly faced paced plot, this was a quick read that kept me guessing with each chapter.
The writing is excellent and the short chapters made it fly by in no time.

“Tick Tock”

As these old college friends come to a secluded island in honor of their old friend and his engagement things take a very deadly turn and fast!
I loved how quickly things started to go downhill once they arrived on the island.
Kane didn’t hold any punches and it was one thing right after another.
Overall, a gripping, suspenseful and very entertaining read!
I couldn’t stop once I started.

My favorite character: Sierra
What I enjoyed most: the pacing
Disliked: the ending….. I wished their was a bit more detail

Still I loved it and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have read it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was my first book from Darby Lane and I must say I really enjoyed it

Very mysterious, so much tension, twists, secrets, unlikable characters that will make you really dislike the story, but after half way, the story starts connecting and it’s nail bitting.
I really recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Coming out on 12/05/2023.

Darby Kane’s upcoming novel “The Engagement Party” takes place on a private island in Maine. When old college friends decide to meet up for an engagement party twelve years after graduation, it should be a joyous celebration. However, all it does is dredge up memories of the past, especially Emily, their friend who mysterious died the day of their college graduation. It’s clear that the group is more involved in her death than they’re saying, and this trip is designed to bring out the truth, whether they want to share it or not.

This novel is a ‘locked room’ style book similar to “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. I found the beginning to be a bit slow but once I got into this book I was absolutely hooked. I’ve loved all of Darby’s other works, so I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of her other stories or locked room thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the DRC of this book. “The Engagement Party” will be published on December 5th, 2023.

Definitely feels like an Agatha Christie novel. Can you figure out who the killer is before they find another victim? Suspenseful and lots of red herrings!

College student Emily goes missing after celebrating graduation, and her body is found days later in the river, her death a mystery. Shortly thereafter another student with a tenuous tie to Emily commits suicide. Present day, 12 years later, Emily’s small circle of college friends gather for The Engagement Party of one of the group. Soon after their arrival at the secluded island house, they discover a dead body in the garage with a cryptic note. And that sets off this totally gripping thriller, where secrets (and suspects) abound, a raging storm traps the group on the island, and nothing is as it appears. You’re quickly hooked into this one, slowly fed just enough information surrounding Emily’s death to keep you firmly attached and flipping the pages. This is a claustrophobic, twisty tale that’ll keep you guessing straight through the ending. Well done! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review,

The Engagement Party was so good! The twists and turns kept me engrossed in this book all night! Emily Hunt was killed on her college graduation night. 12 years later her friends come together to celebrate an engagement. But things are tricky, because someone is hiding secrets.

Honestly, I didn't know which way this story was going. Each character was presumed guilty of something. The story is told from different character POVs and it helps you to understand all angles of the story.

I loved the way the author made you feel like you were right there in the story. The ending was unexpected but satisfying.

Definitely check this book out if you are a fan of twisty, multiple pov thrills! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for my arc.

The only thing better than a locked room mystery is a locked island mystery. Add in a terrible storm, power outages, and a twenty-year-old murder, and you have a perfect thriller. Three couples are staying together on an island to celebrate an engagement. Will is engaged to Ruthie, and has invited his college friends Alex, Cassie, and Mitch. Alex and Cassie are married, and Mitch brought his longtime work partner Sierra. While the group tries to focus on celebrating the newly engaged couple, it seems someone has other plans. The college friends are forced to reckon with the murder of their friend Emily Hunt, who died the night before graduation, as someone begins to torment the group for more information.
I flew through this book. All locked-room mysteries follow the same basic formula, and this is no exception. The added twist from the beginning is Emily’s murder. The characters were hurrying to figure out who was pulling the strings on their weekend while I was hurrying to figure out how Emily died. The dual suspense kept me completely on my toes, and made the story fly by even quicker. The three main POVs come from Sierra, Ruthie, and Alex. Sierra and Ruthie are complete outsiders, and lean on each other as a voice of reason. Alex is married to Cassie, and is part of the original gang of college friends.
One con was that with a group of six characters, most of them ended up feeling a little flat and one-dimensional. The other, bigger, con was that the ending didn’t feel as neat and tidy as it seemed. Yes, I got an answer for all the main questions. But it felt like there wasn’t enough of a bridge between everything the characters lied about and what the truth actually was.
As a whole, this story was a fun and easy read. It checks all the boxes of a classic locked-room mystery without being too on the nose, and weaves the murder mystery into the story in an intriguing way. For a more detailed review, check out my blog! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Darby Kane is an automatic read author for me and her latest novel is the perfect example of why! The Engagement Party is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!! This addictive read centers around a group of college friends that gather on a remote private island to celebrate an engagement. Upon arrival find a dead man…with a note!!!! Well, that, of course breeds suspicion, and ultimately unearths past secrets! From this point, I found this novel completely unputdownable! The pacing is lightening fast and I promise this who-done-it will live rent-free in your mind until you finish! Darby Kane is a master at creating thrillers that are consuming and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT! The Engagement Party is a 5 star novel that will satisfied all mystery/thriller and even slasher fans! As per usual, I am already looking forward to Darby’s next novel!

The Engagement Party" by Darby Kane is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that follows a group of six people gathered on a private island to celebrate an engagement. The tension escalates when they discover a dead body in a car trunk with a chilling note, setting off a series of events that reveal buried secrets and put their lives in danger.

Kane skillfully weaves a tale of mystery and deception, reminiscent of classics like "And Then There Were None" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." The plot keeps readers on the edge of their seats with each chapter unveiling new twists and turns, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. The island setting, though familiar, is still shrouded in suspense and adds to the sense of isolation and paranoia.

The characters' interconnected pasts and the web of lies they've woven create a compelling atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty. As the story unfolds, the reader becomes immersed in the complexities of the characters' relationships and motivations, trying to piece together the truth behind the murders.

Kane's writing effectively captures the fear and desperation of the characters as they face a killer among them, trapped by both the storm and their own secrets. The addition of the "book notes" chapters adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, creating an engaging and satisfying reading experience.

Overall, "The Engagement Party" delivers exactly what one would expect from a suspenseful thriller—a rollercoaster of emotions, unexpected revelations, and a sense of unease that lingers long after the final page. It's a must-read for fans of the genre, and Darby Kane proves once again her skill in crafting a captivating and thrilling story.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

An engagement party is supposed to be a happy reunion between old and new friends. Yet, this party might not leave any survivors. These college friends have a secret from the past that is threatened to be exposed. Someone wants answers about the death of Emily Hunt and won’t stop until someone speaks up. This was intended to be a small celebration on a private island, except a storm is coming and no one will be able to hear their screams.

I enjoy a good thriller and Darby Kane always delivers. Nothing good can come from a party located on a secluded island In Maine. Plus, the reader is introduced to a variety of characters that will keep you guessing if they are trust worthy or not. Once I got into the story, I had to keep reading. Some of the mystery was a bit predictable, but I loved the writing and the chapters that gave a backstory on who Emily Hunt was.

If you love thrillers and mysteries that have I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, you should add this novel to your TBR!

It's a great thriller with so many twists! I highly enjoyed this book and could not put it down! I would recommend it for both teens and adults and will be putting it on my book club's list.

Will is engaged to Ruthie. They plan this engagement party on an island, and invite Will’s closest friends, what could possibly go wrong?
A group of 6 people are on the island. Will who is engaged to Ruth, Cassie and Alex who are married lawyers with a daughter, and Mitch with his friend Sierra. Almost immediately after arriving on the island things start happening and dead bodies start to pile up. No one is safe.
This book was packed with all the suspense. Every chapter left me wanting more. I needed to know what happened and why. Who was behind it all? Who can I trust. This is what I expect from a Darby Kane novel.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review. The group island setting has been done a lot and I liked that this book still kept me guessing. I also liked the “book notes” chapters. It was an interesting addition to the book and when it was explained why those chapters were in there I enjoyed that.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Whew! I loved this one! I love everything this author writes. It’s a very tense locked room mystery that is packed full of action. A group of friends shared a secret back in college. Now, they are invited to one of their friend’s engagement party. Not long after arrival, they begin to realize they are in trouble! Do NOT miss this one!!

𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒏.

A locked room mystery hailed as written in the style of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, so I thought I was in for a domestic suspense experience with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the slasher vibes!

Four college friends reconnect years after college for an engagement party at a remote island with only one way in and one way out. While in college, their friend and classmate Emily Hunt went missing on graduation weekend. When her body was found in the river and a quiet loner died by suicide soon after, police thought they had established a link between the two and closed the case.

One person is invited who was not a part of the group, and she is the only one who senses something is off. Sure enough, when a body is found in a trunk with a note that says 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, the tension amps up to unbelievable levels. Someone on the island is keeping secrets, and they will go to any lengths to keep them.

Thank you to the publisher and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for my early read. This book publishes December 5,2023.

Secrets can make or break you...🔪🔫

Special thanks to @hkdimon @williammorrowbooks & @thrillerbookloverspromotions for this ARC ❤️

➡️SWIPE for synopsis👉🏼

MY REVIEW::
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As you all know, locked room thrillers are my top #thrillertrope , and this one does NOT disappoint! There is a new twist around every corner, and you swear you know who is behind it ...... the BAMM just kidding , ANOTHER TWIST!

I'm ashamed to say, this is my 1️⃣st Darby Kane novel, but it most certainly won't be my last! Her writing was great! The multiple POVs also cemented my love ❤️ for this one.
It also gave me a hint of dark academia vibes because the group is old college friends, and I LOVE dark academia!

Pretty much you'd be crazy not to pre-order this NOW, then thank yourself later when it shows up and your reveling in this masterpiece!

ℙ𝕌𝔹 𝔻𝔸𝕋𝔼:
December 5th, 2023

QOTD❓️⁉️❓️ What is your favorite trope (thriller or non-thriller)?

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#thrillerbooks #suspensethriller #thrillerreader #thrillerlover #thrillerobsessed #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #bookaholic #booklover #bookstagrammer #booklove #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #booksofig #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookishfeatures #tbr #tbrpile #bookbuzz #mysteryandthrills #BookstaBFF23 #thrillerbooklovers #theengagmentparty #darbykaneauthor
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Old friends reunite for an engagement party. They share a 12 year old secret about the murder of a classmate and have avoided each other since, but this is an invitation they simply can't refuse. Of course, this party takes place on a secluded island in Maine only accesible during low tide. Oh, and a storm's moving in. And somebody on the island has long buried secrets and revenge on their mind.

So yes, this is a familiar premise, but I didn't even care because it's also one of my favorite thriller tropes. I'll pick up a mystery with an isolated setting and a small group trapped with a killer plot every single time. Add in a storm and an extra dose of paranoia, and it's my absolute favorite type of story.

A couple of things kept me from fully loving this book: I often struggled with keeping the characters straight. All of the characters were unlikeable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing with thrillers, but they lacked the depth and dimension needed to move them into love-to-hate territory. There's also quite a bit of repetition, which slowed down the pace of the story for me. I really enjoyed the plot, but the uneven pacing kept the tension and sense of dread from truly gaining momentum and fully immersing me in the high stakes events.

The Engagement Party has a familiar thriller setup, but familiarity didn't keep me from enjoying this story. I absolutely loved the I Know What You Did Last Summer vibe and locked room whodunit elements. There were plenty of twists and unexpected reveals to keep the story from feeling predictable and each chapter ended with a mini cliffhanger or tantalizing reveal, which worked great to keep me on the hook, suspecting everyone, and flipping pages. The characters were a weak point for me, but the unpredictable, twisty plot and satisfying ending were enough to keep me invested and entertained.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for providing me a copy to read and review.

I enjoy a good *whodunnit* and this cast of unlikeable characters will keep you busy. A LOT goes on in this story.

Told by alternating POV, you quickly learn that really no one wants to go to this party, which right away made the situation feel off. Poor Sierra is not apart of the original group, and unfortunately is dragged into the nightmare college friend reunion.

This one had some escape room type vibes as the crew is trapped on an island in the middle of a storm. They of course quickly learn that they are not alone. A whole lotta secrets upon secrets, twists and action to figure out what happened in their ugly past.

4⭐️

I have heard amazing things about Darby Kanes writing and this did not disappoint! The Engagement Party follows a group of friends who come to together to celebrate an engagement on an isolated private island. The secrets and continue to build up as the tragedy that occurred on their graduation weekend comes back to haunt them.

This book is so fast paced and the multiple povs and writing style make it very easy to read. You didn’t know who to trust and everyone had their own secrets that they were ere desperate to keep the other from knowing. There was a lot of twists and it kept my heart pounding and I did not expect the ending! I am so exited to read more of Darby’s work!

Thank you to @netgalley, @hkdimon and @williammorrowbooks for the opportunity to read this early and all opinions are my own. The Engagement Party is releasing December 5th

A get-together amongst old college friends to celebrate a new engagement that quickly turns into a bloodbath. No one wanted to attend what would be yet another failed engagement of Will’s, but his fiance Ruthie went through all the trouble to invite them. Once there, it doesn’t take long for everyone to realize they’ve been brought into a deadly game of Truth or Dare where if you lie, you die.

All the killer wants to know is who killed Emily. And until one of them confesses, the bloodshed will continue. But the pact they all made years ago to never speak of it still holds stronger than ever. Even with their friends being picked off one by one, the group refuses to give the truth up, proving some secrets really are worth dying for.
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This was a pretty good read. I love dubious pacts and unhinged revenge plots. I thought the engagement party was a great way to get everyone together as well as slowly reveal little glimpses of their collective past, but it was a bit slow for me at first. I felt there was a bit too much time spent on setting the stage, and I wasn’t too keen on the “book notes” chapters. I did like how unpredictable the plot became halfway-through and that’s when I really began enjoying it. Great twist as well. I’d definitely recommend this one.

Wow! My first Darby Kane book but for sure not my last! This was such a great read. Action packed with so much tension it was crazy. So many great twists and turns that I had no clue who to trust in this one. Fabulous characters that kept me reading way past my bedtime.
Thank you NetGalley, Darby Kane and William Morrow/Custom House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Nothing can top Darby's debut novel; however, this is the closest one to it I have read. I really enjoyed this for the twist I saw and the ones I did not see coming. She kept you guessing who did it until the VERY end.

This book was a doozy. I mean my jaw hit the floor a couple times and the ending was a rollercoaster I thought I wouldn't recover from. I really enjoyed this book even though the characters were a little hard to love. Not Mitch though. I was team Mitch from the beginning. I truthfully did not see the big reveal coming. This was a twisted crazy thriller that was perfect for this time of year for me!

I enjoyed this book! The characters were fun and real. Lots of surprises to keep it entertaining. Some parts seemed to be a bit overdone and unrealistic, but overall a good read. I read this book in two days, definitely recommend

This was AMAZING! The first half of the book was so so suspenseful! It sent chills down my spine and had my hands all sweaty!! Ya girl was nervous! The second half was more of a whodunnit. Everyone in that house had secrets, and they were all getting exposed up until the very last pages of the book!

The story was told through 3 POVs, and I honestly only liked two of the characters in this book. All the rest were definitely dislikeable, especially that one that will not be named 😑 you’ll know who I’m talking about once you read it because they have zero likable qualities lol

There were so many twists and turns, and I loved it! Just when I thought I have it figured out….nah….I didn’t. 😂

An engagement party on a remote island with college friends harboring a murderous secret, what could go wrong? Honestly, the premise seemed a little far fetched but the execution was on point. I really enjoyed getting to the end of this one. The Engagement Party brings a group of college friends together to celebrate just that, an engagement, but it seems off from the beginning, There was a tragedy in college that affected each member of the group in a different way and it shows in their interactions and mistrust of one another at the party.

The story is told through multiple POVs, which of course makes the suspense even better. Not only that, but you definitely have unreliable POVs and that makes you question basically everything you just read. Which for me, makes it again, even more like-able because we don't want just a simple cut and dry thriller. I love the twists and it's even better when I can't guess the ending, which I did and I didn't. I think there were some slower parts to the story, but overall it was a fast paced locked door thriller, that definitely had me turning the page. I did feel that towards the end, there was a lot of things happening that seemed slightly erratic, which may have been the theme but could have gone in depth a little more. The character's weren't exactly your favorite people, I actually think I only liked 1 character in the book, but the mystery and twisted plot was entertaining and sometimes it's good not to like the characters.

Rated up for 4.5 stars for The Engagement Party by Darby Kane.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Darby Kane for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing date for The Engagement Party by Darby Kane is 05 December 2023.

WOAH. This was a super fast-paced, locked door thriller! I loved it. Luckily not all the characters were unlikable! There was at least someone to root for. This one had me reading at what felt like a record breaking pace! I could not put this one down! The ending. THE ENDING! Definitely read this one!