The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella

Pub Date: October 12, 2021
Review Date: September 13, 2021

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the e-Galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There is no shame in this game, I love Sophie Kinsella. Like so many other bookworms, I started to get hooked with the initial, rave-worthy Shopaholic series, but my love for Kinsella books is now deep and drenched in the stand alone books that she writes. I don't even know if Shopaholic is still going, but I can't get enough of her standalones! They are witty, fun, at times spicy, but always quirky and light! Yes, there are moments of drama and relatable issues, but at the end of the day, I'm convinced Kinsella only writes with gilded computer keys!

The Part Crasher did NOT disappoint! It is all the things mentioned above and more. I wanted to live at Greenoaks! I now want to hand-paint my kitchen and no one can tell me otherwise! This story follows the journey of Effie who is the baby of the family and happens to be idealistic and - if I may - naive. Her world turns upside down when her parents decide to divorce even though she is a full blown adult and out of the house, she takes it the hardest. Adult grieving for divorce is a real thing and I bet I would need it too if that happened to me!

Effie is NOT a fan of her father's new love interest and it starts the family war of the decade when their [prior to the divorce] family home is being sold and Effie is cordially un-invited to the party! Hence the crashing that spurs SO many fun images and risky situations.

I would definitely recommend this book to other romance, family drama, and Kinsella junkies!

Effie’s family has fallen apart – her parents have divorced, her dad has a glamorous new fiancée Krista who Effie despises, and her childhood home is about to be sold. Krista has planned a big bash to celebrate the home’s sale, and has only grudgingly and belatedly invited Effie. Effie decides that while she won’t actually attend, she will sneak into the house during the party to retrieve her beloved Russian dolls. Surely she can get in and out quickly and without being noticed!

If you have read Sophie Kinsella’s other novels, you know hilarity is about to ensue. Effie has a series of near misses and hides in rosebushes, under the table, and in the attic to avoid being seen. Effie is the quintessential Kinsella protagonist – endearing but also frustrating. She is sweet and funny, but also immature and self-centered. There were times when I wanted to give her a little shake and say “suck it up, buttercup.” Over the course of the story, Effie learns a lot about life, love, and family.

This book is a fun and quick read, full of humor and heart. There’s some light romance but it’s not the main focus. Fans of rom-coms and Kinsella’s other novels will enjoy this story!

Sophie Kinsella is a master of providing an escape for her readers. Effie is a young adult, still recovering from her parent's divorce. When her father starts dating a young woman and when they decide to sell Effie's family home, Effie starts to spiral. Effie has to dig deep and discover things about her past, her siblings, her father, and ultimately herself.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this well-written novel.

this book is so fantastic! please pick it up as soon as possible! this is so good and so cute and so wonderful and all the great and beautiful things. for realz.

Effie is having a hard time dealing with change- her parent's divorce and then the sale of her childhood home. This book highlights the comedy and drama that ensue with those big life changes. While it started a little slow, I couldn't not put down this book at the end because it was such a heartwarming, feel good story.

As the name suggests, this book takes place over the course of an evening in which the protagonist hides from various family members and friends and uncovers truths, lies, and some fun along the way. In true Kinsella fashion, the prose is fun,, the characters enjoyable, and the plot engaging. I thought it was a very unique and inventive Way to tell a story, one which kept the reader engaged the entire book. Another winner from the queen of fun literature!

Effie's parents are divorced, and her father's new significant other is spearheading the sale of their beautiful old family estate and its sentimental contents. Feeling ignored and overlooked, Effie "attends" the final party at the house by hiding under tablecloths and behind potted plants, successfully alluding discovery every time. It's a little unlikely, but it totally works. So much here about families and the changes they go through, and how divorce can hurt no matter how old you are when it happens. This is a fun story with lots of heart and humor, given added depth with its treatment of serious themes.

The Party Crasher is a cute, quick read. Not all of the magic that I've had reading other Sophie Kinsella books, but still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What can I say? This book is typical Sophie Kinsella. With that said - it can mean good or bad. To me, it's not bad, but not good either.

I find myself wanting to scream at the main character (same as with the shopahollic main character). Scream at her to stop acting the way she is.

I will say - the book is a quick read. It's entertaining - not the best book and certainly not the worst book.

I've been a Kinsella fan for years, so I'm always excited to check out her books.

This is a quick, fun, lighthearted read about Effie, who crashed her family's party and heard all kinds of interesting tidbits, including some about herself.

In typical Kinsella fashion, this book contains strong, well-drawn primary and secondary characters, as well as an ample amount of humor along the way. It's a perfect book to escape reality for a short time.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Sophie Kinsella doesn't disappoint. Effie's parent divorce when she is in her early 20's. Her father finds a new, much younger girlfriend, who Effie thinks is a gold digger. When her father decides to sell her childhood home, Effie is devastated. Dad's girlfriend decides to have a party and un-invites her and Effie is determined not to go. Until she remembers one of her childhood toys that she really wants is still in the house. Effie decides to sneak back in the house the night of the party. She see and hears secrets and runs into the love her of life, Joe.

All of the mishaps kept me entertained. It was a fun read and I like how she wrapped it up at the end.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I loved this book! It was so funny, it made me laugh often. It is a story primarily about family - how a family used to be, how life changes people and the family dynamics, and how to get it back when things have gone wrong. It’s also a story about forgiveness and reconnection - within a family, and in the context of past love. It’s a story about personal growth and moving forward.
The whole story takes place over the course of one party - a “house cooling” party thrown by Effie’s father’s new girlfriend before selling Effie’s childhood home. Effie and Krista had always had their problems, and Effie had lost contact with her dad while feuding with Krista. Effie ends up “anti-invited” to the party, which is fine for Effie, until she remembers that her beloved Russian dolls are still inside. Instead of showing up at the party normally, she decides to break in to her childhood home secretly DURING the party, and hilarious hijinks ensue. In the process she learns family secrets and comes across her big love who got away. Will she get the dolls back? What will she have to go through? And what will happen with Joe?
I loved the romance between Joe and Effie. I also loved Effie’s sister, Bean - she was a positive influence and a voice of reason.
I highly recommend this book - it’s full of warmth, action, humour, and heart.

This book was such a funny and wholesome read. I got some parent trap vibes with the father and younger girlfriend and Effie hating it all. I normally love more romance in books and this book was lacking romance. If you like less romance and more of a family centered Nobel then you’d love this book.

Euphemia (Effie) Talbot, 26, has had a falling out with her dad, Tony, and his glamorous new and much younger girlfriend, Krista, and thinks her family is ‘broken'. The Victorian Gothic family home in Nutworth, Sussex has been sold, gutting Effie, Beatrice (Bean), 33, and Augustus (Gus), 31. Although not invited to the family party, Effie’s desperate to get a childhood treasure - her hand-painted Russian Matryoshka dolls - from the family house before it’s sold. Effie sneaks into the 'house-cooling’ party to get them, planning to take only ten minutes. No one will even know she was there.

But as she creeps around the house in her search, dodging guests and hiding under tables, she overhears conversations and secrets she didn’t expect. Then there’s the issue of her two ex-boyfriends, both guests at the party… and somehow, she can’t leave.

But will Effie be discovered? Is that really what her family says about her, behind her back? And... does she want to stay hidden?

I laughed so much reading this hilarious and heartwarming novel! Kinsella’s characterization is on point. I absolutely loved her characters and her snarky sense of humour. Underneath the escapades, though, is a serious message about being honest with oneself and the importance of confronting a troublesome past so that we can face our future. Kinsella explores the idea that holding onto the past doesn’t always provide security now, nor in the future and that sometimes it’s best to just let ‘it’ go!

Filled to the brim with shocking secrets, hilarious mix-ups and second chance romance, this party of the year needs to top your reading list come October 12, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Sophie Kinsella, Random House Publishing Group, The Dial Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Sophie Kinsella has taken a simple concept and blown it so far out of proportion in this novel that I couldn’t help by laugh the whole way through. Imagine this: being an adult and finding out that your parents are not only divorcing but selling your beloved childhood home. To make it worse, you have a stepmother from hell, a rift between father and daughter because of said stepmother, and an upcoming party where you’ll have to face both? Sounds like a dilemma, eh? Well, this is the backdrop of Kinsella’s upcoming release, The Party Crasher. This book takes family dysfunction to a whole other level. There are times when you simply want to reach into the book and shake the characters awake because they are being so thick headed, but you also can’t help but laugh and feel pity for them ether. Effie of course is a quintessential Kinsella character and while she’s a bit immature and bubbleheaded she is what makes this book! I loved her dearly no matter how many times she made mistakes along the way. Readers are going to laugh about her antics from page one all the way through to the end.

If you’re a fan of Sophie Kinsella (aka Madeleine Wickham) then you won’t want to miss this hilarious new read! I devoured it from cover to cover and was truly sad when it ended. I just can’t help but fall in love with each and every character Kinsella breathes to life in her books. They are too much! Obviously, I’m gushing because I loved this so much and I hope many readers give this one a chance because it’s far to good to pass up. Highly recommended!

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Hilarious chick lit novels
• Books about dysfunctional families with a side of humor and heart
• Authors Marian Keyes, Laurie Gelman, and Jennifer Weiner

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was a standard Sophie Kinsella cute novel. I liked that this wasn’t too focused on romance, and instead more of a family story. I did find the main character to be a little whiny, but it worked with the story as there wouldn’t have been much of a plot line without her being upset at the situation. This definitely wasn’t my favourite of Sophie Kinsella’s novels, but it wasn’t bad.

Sophie Kinsella does it again! This is something about her books that just draw you in, make you laugh, and have you falling in love with the characters. The main character Effie is funny, stubborn, and flawed which makes her so lovable. An absolutely delightful read!

Quick read from a reliable author. When Effie, who is on the outs with her family, sneaks into a party to retrieve a beloved childhood keepsake before the family home is sold, she ends up hearing and seeing more than she bargained for. I don’t think the reader will be too surprised by anything but with some funny characters and some family drama, you’ll enjoy the ride as you go along.
Note: thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. It was full of heart and humor. I found myself chuckling about one thing or another every few pages. My favorite character was Mimi. I enjoyed the love she had for her step kids. I also admired her view on different things. I enjoyed the love between dad and kids and how much the siblings loved one another and showed their love. It is almost guaranteed that, any book I read from this author, I will adore and remember for a long time. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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The Party Crasher is about a family that has taken a turn for the disastrous, and a house farewell party that doesn’t quite go as planned. After divorce blindsides Effie, she is devastated at the state of her family. She feels they are shattered, broken, unable to be put back together. Her breaking point is when it is announced that her childhood home, Greenoaks, is being sold. To top it all off, Krista, her dad’s gold-digging and horrible girlfriend, sends her an anti-invitation to attend the farewell party. Realizing that she left behind a cherished item, Effie resolves to sneak into the party to get it back… but as she sneaks around, she overhears many conversations, and her world is turned upside down at all of the revelations and secrets.
This was a fairly quick read, and while the book keeps the mood mostly light-hearted, there are many serious and shocking moments as well. The writing was easy to read and follow, which, coupled with the constant reference to her being the baby of the family, made Effie feel a lot younger than she really is. There was a sense of immaturity in the beginning of the book; however, it wasn’t overpowering and even ended up dying down as the plot progressed. Effie clearly holds grudges, yet there was a big maturation going on throughout the novel. The plot wasn’t too outlandish, Anna there were certainly comedic moments that had perfect timing! The characters were all nicely fleshed out, and I felt a lot of connection with the family members (and Joe, but he basically counts as family, right?). The big things that didn’t make this five stars were the final revelations and reveals. Some things were a bit too concise, almost rushed by, while other things felt inserted and resolved at the last minute. That being said, I really enjoyed the journey and the ultimate ending was very fitting. A sweet 4.5 stars!