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The Party Crasher

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Member Reviews

Absolutely LOVED and will read everything Sophie Kinsella writes. The characters in this one were so memorable as well as the setting. I would love to visit this house!

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Another great read by Sophie Kinsella! It’s cute, fun, silly, and the ending is so heartfelt. Kinsella is one of my favorite authors of all time. This one was a little different, but i still enjoyed it. I loved that it was centered around family, and the characters were so sweet and quirky.

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I have read every single book Sophie Kinsella has published under her pseudonym (her real name is Madeleine Wickham and I haven’t read any of the books she’s published under that name).

Some of her books are absolutely hilarious (my favorites are Can You Keep a Secret? and I’ve Got Your Number and The Undomestic Goddess) and some of them – especially some of her recent ones – have fallen pretty flat for me.

The last time one of her books truly charmed me was about five books ago, so I wasn’t holding my breath that The Party Crasher would be a winner for me.

And then it CHARMED me.

I felt like it had the old spark of her earlier books – sweet relationships, snappy dialogue, and a little bit of the absurd that makes her books extra fun.

I read it in 24 hours and kept laughing out loud during it (and also got a little teary during some of it – I love a book that can do both!).

THE PARTY CRASHER BY SOPHIE KINSELLA
The book begins with a family holiday party at Effie’s childhood home. Things seem slightly off and then her dad and stepmom (who is the only mother Effie has ever known, since her own mother died shortly after Effie was born) announce they are divorcing.

After that intro chapter, the story skips ahead about two years. Effie is still devastated by her parents’ divorce and her relationship with her father has now dwindled to almost nothing, thanks to his awful new (and young and attractive) girlfriend, Krista.

And just when Effie thinks things couldn’t get worse, she finds out that her dad and Krista have sold Greenoaks, the beloved Victorian home she grew up in and loves with all her heart.

Krista is throwing a “house cooling” party to gather old friends and family at the house for one last hurrah and Effie is mysteriously not invited (although it’s no mystery to Effie who left her off the guest list).

She doesn’t want to go ANYWAY, but then at the last moment remembers that her beloved set of dolls are still in hidden in the house and if she ever wants to see them again, she’ll have to go back to Greenoaks.

But she’s certainly not going to attend the party – no, in typical Sophie Kinsella fashion, Effie decides she’ll sneak in, James Bond-style, during the party, retrieve her dolls and dash back out, without giving Krista the satisfaction of seeing her attend the party.

Of course, sneaking around in the bushes, hiding in the coat closet and crawling through attic passageways means she hears and sees things she wasn’t intended to know about. What secrets are her dad, her sister and her brother keeping from her and each other?

The other tricky thing?

Her ex-boyfriend, her childhood sweetheart, the breaker of her heart with no explanation four years earlier, Joe, is invited to the party and she might need to recruit him to help her locate her dolls and keep her family from seeing her.

There were so many laugh-out-loud moments in this book and the dialogue was just as good as some of her other books.

I mentioned in my review of her book, I Owe You One, that it felt kind of messy, with too many storylines, too many characters, and too much plot jammed into one book. This one didn’t feel that way at all. You had a great cast of characters, but not so many that you couldn’t get to know and love most of them and see them as whole people, rather than just stand-ins.

If you need something light-hearted and funny, The Party Crasher is definitely a winner.

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This was unfortunately a DNF for me. I tried several times, and couldn't quite get into the story. I did really like the humour, but the plot didn't pull me in enough to continue reading.

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In true Sophie Kinsella fashion, this book was absolutely hilarious. I loved all of the ridiculous situations that Effie finds herself in. Especially the scene where she is under the table!! This book is laugh-out-loud funny as well as being really sweet.

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Sophie Kinsella's books are always fun to read. In this one, the main character (Effie) is distressed by her parents' divorce and her father's new girlfriend. She's lost touch with her father and now he's selling her childhood home. The result is a series of wacky adventures for Effie, set during a "house-cooling" party staged by her father's girlfriend, and also involving Effie's childhood sweetheart. I loved the character of Effie, and the end result of the novel will surprise you. A great read! I've recommended it to several people!

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This book is pure, classic Sophie Kinsella!

Her signature heroine, called Effie, is unpredictable and impulsive, making decisions without thinking them through completely. These decisions have Effie ending up in hilarious situations!

This book is funny, heartwarming and proves that nothing is more important than family. Great supporting characters, great pacing. You'll fall in love with Effie.

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Cute, silly fun with a surprising heartfelt ending. I loved the siblings and the love interest. All great characters that made me wish they were part of my family.

This would make a great RomCom on the big screen or Netflix. A charming way to spend a few hours with some fun escapades.

Thank you to #RandomHousePublishing and #NetGalley for this copy to review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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This book was so cute and a quick read. It’s about how life changes and the struggle it is to move forward when things seem so broken. Wonderful read about the importance of family.

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Another great read by Kinsella. Kinsella's books are consistently joyful to read with flawed characters who capture the heart.

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✨Book Review✨
The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella
⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
I will start off by saying, Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors of all time. However, this book was very different than the other Sophie Kinsella books I have read. To be honest, it was not my favorite. It was cute, and I loved that it centered so much around family, but for me it lacked Kinsella's usual charm. The characters were sweet and quirky, and overall it was a pleasant read, but definitely nothing out of the ordinary.

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Effie’s parents divorced two years ago and since then she’s been estranged from her father and his younger girlfriend, Krista. When they sell Effie’s childhood home, Krista throws one last party to say farewell to the house. Effie is originally not invited, but at the last minute she receives an “anti-invitation.” Effie has no interest in going to the party, but she does want to go to the house one last time to get her Russian dolls, toys that she cherished as a child. While everyone is having fun at the party, Effie sneaks in the party to find her dolls. No one knows she’s there. She overhears conversations and starts to see her family in new light. Will she stay in the background or announce her presence and join in the fun?

Sophia Kinsella is one of my favorites. Her books bring me comfort. The characters are amusing and the plots put a smile on my face, and this book did just that. Effie is spunky and some of the things she witnessed at the party when no one knew she was there were laugh at loud funny. It’s a light-hearted story filled with family drama and a little bit of romance. I definitely recommend.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan!! 'The Party Crasher' starts with an intriguing premise and continues with all kinds of secrets. The characters change and grow throughout the story as do their relationships. This is a great book to pick up for a light, fun read! I loved it!

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Another fantastic novel from the author of confessions of a shopaholic, I can see this book being turned into movie. Easy to read, light hearted with laugh out loud moments, I loved the connection of all the characters, and I especially enjoyed the setting of the novel.

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The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella is a fun, action-packed read, yet I still did not love it as I do almost all of her other books. It took me a bit of time to become fully interested in the story, but once I did there were a lot of laughs, something I look forward to with SK books. The story is of Effie, the youngest of three, that wants to get back to her childhood home to retrieve something sentimental. The house is sold and about to be turned over to the new owners, so she needs to get there quickly. Unfortunately, Effie does not get along at all with her father's new (younger) girlfriend so Effie comes up with a hair-brained idea to slip in and out without being seen. Of course, there are a lot of crazy things that happen, but also some wonderful family bonding and touching moments. Have you ever wanted to be a 'fly on the wall'? This story will give you reasons you may or may not wish that to come true. 3.5 stars rounded up to 5.

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Another slam dunk from Sophie Kinsella! This one had me in stitches throughout, and Effie was the most lovable character.

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I unfortunately could not get into this at all. It's fine; not as fun as her shopaholic books. The story didn't grab me. Must not be for me!

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My family can always tell when I'm reading a Sophie Kinsella book because I can't stop smiling and my laughs can't be stifled. The Party Crasher was exactly that kind of book and the perfect escape from these winter days.

Two years later, Effie still cannot believe her parents are divorced, and now her dad has a new, much younger, girlfriend (Krista) that Effie might have jokingly called a gold digger at the last family dinner. To make matters worse, Effie has just found out that Greenoaks, their beloved family home, has been sold. Krista is throwing a big send off party for the house, but Effie has been left off the original guest list and then receives an invitation which seems like an afterthought Effie is definitely not going, but then remembers her childhood treasured Russian dolls are there and she cannot be without those. Effie decides to go full out "Mission Impossible" mode and stealthily enter the house during the party to retrieve her dolls, except it doesn't quite work out that way. What comes next is pages of hilarious blunders, edged with the true love of family.

The Party Crasher was a fun and laughter filled adventure with a heartwarming feel and I loved it all.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I love anything Sophie Kinsella writes. Her books are charming and witty, and I am often laughing along with the characters story lines. This book did not disappoint.

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Fun read, will appeal to chick lit readers and those enjoy a family centered story. Effie is having a difficult time accepting that the family home is being sold. She decides to crash the last party at the home and ultimately quite a bit takes place. She is a real and flawed character and really enjoyed the supporting characters as well. Good romance along with a family that is full of love. Recommend for chick lit and women’s fixtion readers. A sure hit.

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