The book started off really strong. It had a good plot and a great idea for a captivating story. There were a lot of interesting characters and it was interesting to meet them all and to see how they all interacted with one another. As the book progressed, I felt that it got a little drawn out and slightly unrealistic with some of the events that started to happen. I did enjoy the story as a whole, but I feel that it could have been a little shorter. The author is an amazing writer and I love how she intermixed all of the different personalities of the characters to create this complex story. The way the characters melded together was what made the story. The story definitely had some spooky undertones, which I enjoyed.

I read and loved Triona Walsh’s The Snowstorm, set in Ireland’s remote Aran Islands, and was eager to read her next novel, set in another remote Irish location – this time in County Mayo.

Lizzie O’Shea’s life derailed after the death of her beloved father. After spiraling out of control with alcohol and drug abuse, Lizzie was shipped off to a rehab centre. Now, six months sober and with a new outlook on life, Lizzie emerges to find her own household radically altered.

Lizzie’s mother, Claire, and younger brother arrive at the center to pick up Lizzie, with Claire’s new husband, George, in tow. Claire and George announce they are whisking Lizzie off to George’s remote country estate, nestled in thick forests and cut off from civilization. There, they are joined by George’s daughter and her new husband. And Lizzie’s first post-rehab days quickly transform into a lot more than she bargained on.

It quickly becomes apparent that the historic home harbors generations of secrets and lies, and Lizzie works to piece together clues from the past while simultaneously trying to understand the secrets and motives of the current wedding party guests.

The atmosphere and setting of this remote estate slowly swallowed up by the encroaching forest was brilliant, as was the character of Lizzie, placed in an impossible position, struggling to stay sober in her post-rehab life, while grappling with rapidly mounting tension. On the negative side, many of the final plot twists seemed rushed and unrealistic and distanced me somewhat from what I otherwise thought was a compelling story.

Overall, this is a wonderfully atmospheric novel with a flawed heroine I was rooting for throughout, and lots of twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutre for the opportunity to read The Party by Yriona Walsh. Whoa! What a wild and twisty ride this is! And fun!

First of all I would just like to thank NetGalley, Tríona Walsh and Bookouture for an ARC of “The Party” in exchange for an honest review.

This book is told from protagonist Lizzie’s point of view, freshly out of rehab, and is told in third person narrative.

I really wanted to like this book as I was very excited to read it due to the intriguing premise. However, it fell short for me in quite a few ways.

I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I found the writing style difficult to get into. It didn’t seem to flow as well as it could have and I found some of the sentences to be quite disjointed, further instilling the matter.

As well as occasionally being highly unrealistic, the characters all seemed to act like petulant children- forcing me to become indifferent to them and their problems, in addition to finding my attention in the story wavering at times.

I did, however, enjoy the novel being set in rural Ireland!

The day Lizzie gets out of a six month stint at rehab is also the day her mother gets remarried. When she picks Lizzie up, the new husband is in tow and they are going to his remote mansion to celebrate. The celebration is interrupted by Lizzie’s real father, who was declared dead five years ago. The next morning, he winds up actual dead and worse, murdered. Lizzie realizes that someone near her must be to blame.

I enjoyed this thriller! There were a couple of twists throughout, and I thought they were placed well (not back to back). I also thought Lizzie as a flawed protagonist really helped build the intrigue as it made her not trustworthy to others. Overall, an enjoyable thriller!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book was a wild ride! Lizzie is fresh out of rehab getting her life back together after the death of her dad. Her mother, Claire, picks her up with her new husband, George, and Lizzie’s brother Liam. Off to Butler Manor for a family get away. In the middle of the woods with no cellphone service and no landline. George’s daughter Freya surprises them with her new husband. Celebrating not one but two weddings, Claire’s ex-husband, Declan, shows up. Only he’s legally dead! He wants them back but Claire is happy now, isn’t she? This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. All the twists and turns were crazy. Just when you think you have it figured out, nope! Definitely can’t wait to read more by Tríona Walsh!

Triona Walsh is a new author for me and I really enjoyed The Party. The action is set at Butler Hall and it’s a tense, gripping thriller with plenty of twists thrown in. A fast paced plot that will keep you entertained to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

"The Party" by Triona Walsh is a grab you by your hand and never let go psychological thriller that had my attention from the very first line. The imagery Walsh uses to pull the reader in and to create such a vivid image in one's mind of what is going on is what consistently holds you along this bumpy and tense ride that leads to an impressive twist! If you're looking for something to that moves quick like speeding down a curvy/windy road, you've found it in "The Party"!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
This started out promising but I quickly lost interest. I didn't like a single character in this book and frankly didn't care what happened to them. It felt like gothic horror rather than a thriller. I found myself rolling my eyes numerous times. I enjoyed The Snowstorm by this author but this one just wasn't for me.

"The Party" by Triona Walsh is an unputdownable psychological thriller that held my attention from start to finish. There's nothing I like more than a good locked room mystery, and this one fit the bill perfectly with murder, mayhem, and red herrings aplenty to keep the pages turning.

Written in the third point of view from Lizzie’s perspective, it centers around her and her family. After the death of her father five years ago, 25-year-old Lizzie was a mess, partying hard, taking drugs, and drinking alcohol like there is no tomorrow. She was sent to a rehab center, and, after six months, she is finally clean.

When her mother and her 18-year-old brother come to pick her up, they inform Lizzie that her mother has remarried a man named George, and they're on their way to his house in the country. They will spend the weekend there, and George's daughter will join them.

Lizzie is shocked and tries to come to terms with all the new developments while staying out of trouble and getting to know her new family. The plot thickens when a man they didn't expect to see unexpectedly appears at the house. Suddenly, their new life is at stake, and dangers are afoot.

I loved the book and couldn't stop reading. It started a bit slow, introducing us to all the characters, but the pace picked up as the story unfolded. The tension gradually builds and keeps rising with every twist and every turn. Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, the author threw a curveball at me. The interactions between Lizzie and her mother and brother felt authentic, but I didn't like the way Lizzie's mom initially treated her.

What begins as a seemingly simple plot ends in a darker and more complex place than the reader could ever expect. The author did a great job weaving a captivating story and creating interesting, believable characters I could care about (most of them anyway). I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it. Good descriptions and intriguing characters made this a great read!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

The characters were so well written. Excellent suspects and red herrings that were so believable. I was kept guessing as to 'whodunit' to the end. Excellent thriller with a riveting mystery and shocking twists.

This book was like a wild rollercoaster ride. The characters are well developed and the author describes the scenery so well you think you’re in the woods. I thought for sure midway in that I knew who the killer was but I was very wrong.

Tríona Walsh's gripping thriller, "The Party," takes readers on a heart-pounding journey of deceit, betrayal, and the lengths one woman will go to protect her family. Claire's life takes a horrifying turn when her supposedly deceased first husband, Declan, resurfaces on the day of her wedding. The author skillfully builds tension as Claire's blood turns to ice and the perfect evening shatters.

Walsh masterfully weaves a web of intrigue, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they uncover shocking secrets and question the trustworthiness of those closest to Claire. The characters are compelling and multidimensional, their motives and actions constantly keeping readers guessing.

Through evocative prose, Walsh explores themes of love, loyalty, and the lengths a mother will go to safeguard her children. The pacing is relentless, propelling the story forward with a sense of urgency that makes it difficult to put the book down.

"The Party" is a captivating and suspenseful read, with twists and turns that will leave readers breathless. Tríona Walsh proves herself to be a talented storyteller, delivering a thrilling narrative that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

When Lizzie is released from rehab she is picked up by her mother Claire and her new husband George. Along with her brother Liam they are all going to spend the weekend at George’s home in the country along with his daughter Freya and her new husband. The house is in the process of being renovated and is in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal and when an unexpected guest arrives their whole lives are thrown into danger and you don’t know who to trust. This is a great read and i was totally caught out by the ending.

The Party is a good who done it read.
Enough twists and turns to keep me interested.
Well written characters and overall an enjoyable read.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Interesting premise: husband declared dead, suddenly reappearing as wife remarries.
As Claire, with her 2 children prepare for a new life, her dead husband Declan shows up and all of a sudden everything is just a little too complicated with no one and nothing seeming to really be as they appear.
A really good "who dunnit" with lots of potential suspects.
Keeps you flipping the pages to keep up with the twists and turns.
Very good character builds with intriguing, hidden depths.
The party is a treat.
Enjoy.

WOW what a fabulous thriller which had me hooked from first chapter until the very last.

After her husband, Declan died, Claire’s daughter developed a substance abuse issue and had to spend time in rehab. Now with her daughter free from rehab in time for Claire’s wedding celebration everything is looking up for Claire and her family. So with her new husband Claire and her family go to a remote estate owned by her new husband. While having dinner in the garden Claire gets a shock as her dead husband appears saying he wants his family back.



It's a quick moving story with lots of red herrings which will keep you hooked. Highly recommend this to everyone.

Without giving too much away I found this to be a fast paced, absorbing and compelling read. The story flowed really well, there were lots of plot twists to keep my attention. The further I read with this book, the better it got and I enjoyed it more. I think the author has set the bar high here. Will look forward to the next book and hope it is as good as this one. Overall 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This talented author has written a cannot put down page turner. Realistic characters keep the story moving quickly. Secrets and red herrings add to the intrigue. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author. This book would make a great movie. It is fiction but could be nonfiction. It happens.