Thanks to #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #ThePartyGuest. I really liked the short choppy chapters in this book, it held my attention and kept me reading for 'one more chapter'. The story is told from the points of view of each person at the party, and each one is likeable and unlikeable in equal measure. A whodunit dysfunctional family read.

Sorry but this book wasn't for me, couldn't get into the storyline, didn't like the characters and it didn't get me involved one bit.

By the end of the book I wasn't bothered what happened to anyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC. I am just sorry I didn't like it.

This is a quick thriller that is posed as a locked room mystery but is more of a thriller.
When Ultra wealthy Ralph turns 45, he convinces his children, his girlfriend and his ex wife to come to the Amalfi coast on his dime. It seems that he hopes that Sarah, his ex, might still have feelings for him. Sarah however, has her own secret (but she does agree to go on this trip for some reason???)

Thus, we meet via POV's several unlikeable people including Ralph's current girlfriend, his daughter, his son and his son's girlfriend. The plot twists and turns and there is a death or two - but it may not end up like you think. If you like a quick thriller with short chapters and multiple points of view, then The Party Guest might be for you!

I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Party Guest’ by Amanda Robson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

To celebrate his upcoming 45th birthday Ralph has booked Villa Panorama on the Amalfi Coast. He’s invited his ex-wife Sarah who he still loves, his occasional girlfriend and children, but he hadn’t expected Sarah to bring her partner Jack.

I was attracted to this novel by its cover and description as well as being written by an author whose books I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed, but I struggled with this latest one. The characters were unappealing with not one redeeming feature between them and after half-an-hour of putting up with their blame culture and whinging, I decided that life’s too short to spend on characters I don’t like and have no desire to read more about. It’s not often I stop reading so soon into a book but unfortunately that’s what happened here, and I apologise as I know how much work goes into writing a novel, but I’ll still watch out for Amanda’s next one and hope it’s back to her usual form.

<i>(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review)</i>

Publication date: 16 June 2022
Publisher: Avon Books UK

Plot

Ralph's 45th birthday is approaching and he intended to celebrate in a lovely home on the Amalfi coast with a huge group of people: his girlfriend Gemma, his children, ex-wife Sarah and her boyfriend Jack. When the past meets the present, who will make it out alive?

Thoughts

The blurb made it sound like those closed room mysteries which was why I requested for this ARC, even though I've not read any of the books from this author before.

The pace of the book was fast which is good because given the amount of characters in this book, it could have gotten boring too fast but the pace made it light too. However, the POVs were all over the place because they were in 2nd person. I had to go back to see whose POV is it in because it was a little messy and confusing to follow along, could be a case of bad formatting/editing. I also couldn't make a connection with the characters because some were fillers and unnecessary.

3.5 so I will round up to 4.

The Party Guest is full of characters you love to hiss at.

Ralph is about to celebrate his 45th birthday and is hosting his own party at a destination villa in Italy.

His main guest is not his girlfriend Gemma ( nasty she is ) but his ex wife who never got over.

Trouble is Sarah is bringing her new fiance.

Ralph and Sarah's kids have their own issues. Yikes is all I will say.

This will be a birthday party like none other .

Not everyone survives. Almost a closed door mystery.

Amanda Robson does crazy with twists and turns very well and I love to escape into her books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK , Avon for an entertaining read.

What’s not to love about being invited to a location birthday celebration?! You hear about location weddings all the time, but rarely about location birthdays. I was excited to party until I saw the guest list. Immediately, I knew this story was going to have some challenges.

The stunning cover and breathtaking setting attracted me to this book, the diary entry format in short chapters and multiple points of view held my attention, however, the unlikeable characters with their crass behaviour and explicit scenes quickly overpowered what excitement I had initially and I lost interest in this story. In short, it did not feel like an authentic nor plausible story worthy of my time investment.

I was gifted this advance copy by Amanda Robson, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

3.5 ⭐️

I wanna start by thanking NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me early access to this e-book in exchange for a honest review.

The party guest brings us a very “Agatha Christie story”, which is what I call a story where we have a limited number of characters in the same place and one of them turns up dead. Being a lover of Agatha’s novels, I truly like these thrillers, instead of something where the killer appears out of the blue, so this was a very positive point in favor of this ebook and a reason to recommend it to anyone who also appreciates these narratives.

The chapters alternate between the different characters and are small, which I feels adds a lot of dynamic to the story. The narration requires some get used to, as each one of the characters is talking to another character in a kind of “letter” way. I felt it to be strange at first, but as soon as I got involved with the story it was no longer an issue.

The book allows us to have a good reading moment - it catches the reader’s attention and it has some unexpected things going on, as well as some mystery, which kept me motivated. I just felt the suspense construction could have been better, therefore I’m not reaching the 4 stars, as I found the guilty one to be somewhat predictable.

This review will also be available on my Goodreads account and later on my Instagram.

Very much enjoyed the writing style of Amanda Robson. It was my first book of hers & it was a great summer thriller! I was drawn in by the cover & Italian setting. Really liked how each chapter was from the perspective of one of the characters & were short - some just a couple of sentences. The twist in the final pages was everything a psychological thriller should be, down to the final twisting blow in the last sentences. You’ll definitely want to know all about the odd, disturbed Kensington family, so add “The Party Guest” to your TBR!

The Party Guest

The Guest list:
Ralph: His party to celebrate his 45th birthday
Gemma: Ralph's current girlfriend. Desperate to hold on to her man
Sarah: Ralph's ex wife, who Ralph still loves
Jack: Sarah's fiance, a surprise to the family
Patrick: Son of Ralph and Sarah
Anna: Patrick's whiny girlfriend
Janice: Ralph and Sarah's snotty daughter

Quite a guest list, there's sure to be trouble

And trouble there is, lots of it! As in, someone ends up dead.

I enjoyed the concept and the chapters from different viewpoints. I didn't love the random way others voices were inserted into someone else's narrative. It made it confusing at times.

The characters were mostly unlikable, but some had redeeming qualities.

I have read other books by this author that I enjoyed more. I will keep reading this author for sure.

Thanks to netgalley and Avon Books, UK for the arc.

Ralph is turning 45 and in doing so makes everything really awkward and uncomfortable by inviting the ex wife he wants back while his girlfriend is with him.

It’s an interesting novel but fall a little flat of 5 stars.

A quick read due to short chapters told from the perspective of all guests. They have travelled to celebrate Ralph's birthday. On holiday with him is his much younger girlfriend Gemma, his ex wife Sarah and her partner. His son Patrick and his girlfriend Anna and his daughter Janice.
Within days of the start of the holiday one of them is dead.
None of the characters were particularly likeable and I found the book and storyline rather predictable. The saving grace was the setting of the Amalfi coastline.
2.5 rounded to 3 stars

I have enjoyed previous books by this author but unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. I liked the the fact it is small chapters, however I was not a fan of how the story was told, with each chapter in a different character's POV, and I just found it didn't quite flow right, maybe because it was an ARC, and became confusing and repetitive.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Amanda Robson for this ARC.

Week, this was certainly something I would rather forget. I found all the characters to be unlikeable and not fully fleshed out. Rather, they felt like one dimensional caricatures of what people should be - the man still obsessed with his ex-wife, the trashy gold digger girlfriend, the angry daughter etc. I was also not a fan of how the story was told, with the characters narrating their point of view. For me, this did not help the story flow & it felt very disjointed. I felt that the storytelling was juvenile, which just left me feeling disappointed. I think that if you have enjoyed other books by this author you’ll enjoy this one.

I was looking forward to this book by the blurb provided.

However, I found the writing of each chapter in a different character's voice, jarring and actually quite irritating.

The whodunit was predictable and I did not find any of the characters likable.

A hard pass for me.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I really struggled with this one I’m afraid, The story description sounded great but the writing style didn’t gel for me. I struggled to get any empathy for any of the characters and to be honest found them all both irritating and unreal. I realise that was probably the point but it didn’t work for me on this occasion. . Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.

I have followed the works of this author from her debut novel Obsession, which left me wanting more. This is the sixth title of hers and she has never disappointed.
I love short chapters dedicated to a different character's POV in each one. The Party Guest has both of these qualities that I like, and at the end of most of the chapters, I found myself saying either "Wow' or 'Oh my God!'
Ostensibly, Ralph's 45th birthday should have celebrated a successful life, with his career and his son and daughter whom he adores. He also has a young girlfriend, in attendance. However, although it might appear to those that don't know, that Ralph is higher up Maslow's pyramid than most people, according to Ralph's more clouded vision, 'Transcendence' will always remain an unachievable goal, as long as he remains separated from his ex-wife Sarah.
To mark the occasion of his birthday, he has rented a villa on the beautiful Amalfi Coast, and invited his Patrick with his girlfriend Anna, his daughter Janice, his ex-wife Sarah who brings along her soon to be announced fiancé Jack. As you can imagine, author Amanda Robson is not going to tell us a story of happy families, as this gathering becomes a toxic hotbed of pent-up hostilities and the events that follow lead from bad to worse.
Considering that I have never been to this part of Italy, I had a wonderful sense of place regarding this beautiful location, and I didn't need to Google Image it until after I finished the book, only to find that the pictures pretty much matched the images created in my head, from reading the prose. If this was to be made into a movie, it would be a very classy, glossy motion picture indeed.

This book was a little bit odd. The things that the author writes about happening at times was a little bit confusing. I mean who puts a pizza in their pocket for later? I also really didn't like any of the characters in the book. I didn't really gel with the book and unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Let me begin by introducing you to our cast of despicable characters:

Ralph: Birthday boy, uber wealthy, obsessed with his ex-wife even though he has a new girlfriend, and a total wanker.

Sarah: Ralph's ex-wife and engaged to be married to Jack yet still likes to lead Ralph on by sleeping with him occasionally.

Jack: Described as a silver haired fox, Sarah's fiancé, and total fool for getting involved with this insane family.

Gemma: Ralph's new girlfriend and a gold digging hoochie momma that wouldn't mind hooking up with Jack and Ralph's son just to make him jealous.

Janice: Ralph and Sarah's daughter, whiney, entitled, and may or may not have psychopathic tendencies.

Patrick: Ralph and Sarah's son, party boy that likes to ogle his Dad's girlfriend whether his girlfriend is around or not.

Anna: Patrick's girlfriend and the QUEEN of all KARENS.

Ralph has decided to treat those he loves to his lavish 45th birthday party by whisking them away to the Amalfi Coast for endless champagne, food, and festivities. Inviting your ex and their new spouse in order to win her back doesn't sound like a good plan to me but Ralph thinks so and he thinks by bringing his new girlfriend it will be just the thing to make Sarah jealous and rushing back into his arms. What could possibly go wrong?

Again, as with all the books of hers that I have read, Robson embraces the 2nd person narrative and rather than actual chapters the breaks are marked by who's point of view is speaking at that time. Normally I don't have a problem with this but this time I have to say it just didn't work. I had to go back many times to re-read sections in order to figure out who I was reading about and I think, perhaps it was poor formatting, that some of the breaks didn't get marked properly so, for instance, you think you're reading from Jack's perspective and then all of as sudden he's putting on high heels and a lacy top. That is jarring to say the least and I spent a lot of my time saying what the fuck but not in the way I was hoping for. Very confusing.

Check out these gems:

"Ralph is walking toward me, looking as dapper as ever in his seersucker shorts and bright red pumps."

I think even Robson was getting confused on which character is which and who she was writing about unless bright red pumps mean something different in British slang.

"I thrust open the lunch box, pull out the pizza slice that is inside and take a bite. The cheese is soft and delicious. Heaven. But one bite is enough. I know after not eating so long I must take it easy. Then I place the rest of the slice in my pocket and save it for later."

What in the actual fuck? Who puts a slice of pizza in their pocket? Better yet, who eats only one bite of a slice of pizza? Psychopaths, that's who.

Where were the editors???

So, yeah, this is not a favorite of mine but I'm not writing Robson off yet because her previous books were great guilty pleasure reads and I'm hoping this was a one off. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my complimentary copy.

Really Ralph? Really Sarah? Ralph has invited his girlfriend Gemma invited, his daughter Janice, his son Patrick and his friend Anna to spend his 45th birthday at a villa on the Amalfi Coast. Oh and he also invited his ex-wife Sarah, who he still pines for but she's surprised him by bringing her partner Jack. It's a recipe for disaster,, to be sure (all those emotions!) but murder? No spoilers from me as to who, how, and who did it. Each character has as chance to share their point of view, which makes for an entertaining read given some of their views! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good beach or garden read.