This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension - impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. This book is a winner!

I have previously enjoyed the authors past work and this one adds to the collection! You can imagine being in the sun on the island of Mallorca and can imagine being part of the scene. Enjoyed the twists and turns that feature too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review..

Several friends travel to a villa in Mallorca following college graduation. While at the villa of Nina's parents, amidst lots of drinking, things go really wrong. Now, 30+ years later, the now mostly estranged friends are being contacted by an anonymous person who knows what happened on that trip.

I requested this book because I thought the setting of Mallorca sounded fun but it felt like this could have been a villa anywhere. There were a lot of characters introduced at once, which I tend to struggle with. Most of the book is just an account of what happened in 1989. I didn't find it to be overly suspenseful or thrilling. It was just ok.

The first page read and I thought I’m not going to like this, I was so WRONG!
Best Friends from Uni go to Nina’s parents villa for a summer holiday, A last fling before they enter the real world but it goes horribly wrong. What have they done? Don’t want to give any spoilers but what I thought would be a light, fun holiday read was so much more.
This isn’t just another ordinary read, very imaginative, cunning and filled me with all sorts of emotions. I couldn’t go to sleep until I’d finished it. Can’t fault it. For me a definite 5 stars, not because I’m trying to be a kiss ass like a lot of reviewers but because it actually deserves it.
Thank you Netgalley and Nikki Smith for an advanced copy & making a cold winter day & night so enjoyable.

A fantastic thriller filled with twists and revelations. The plotting was superb, I couldn't put it down and the characters were really well developed, a very wry look at toxic friendship and the lifelong impact of them. Highly recommend a very satisfying ending.

A great read that was fast paced and had me hooked right from the very beginning. I couldn't put it down and I didn't want it to end

I really enjoyed this! A twisty turny timeline jumping thriller that gives sunshine and darkness all in one!
The story was interesting with lots of twists to keep the reader engaged.
I would say the male characters all sort of blended into one and there was little description to differentiate them in the first half of the book.
The description of the boat accident was a little confusing, maybe this was intentional to convey the confusion of the events.
The ending was satisfying but felt a little rushed.
Overall an enjoyable twist of a read.
Thank you to the publishers and author for the ARC

Punchy, thrilling, and nostalgic.
I really enjoyed The Beach Party. Vivid writing took me to the villa in Majorca and the heat filled summer of fun before real life starts. Engaging and a quick read, with twists and turns aplenty. I did get slightly confused at the start with the different characters, but this was soon resolved once I'd gotten my head around them all and romped on towards the grisly ending.
Highly recommended.

Did not finish = I am sure others will love this book, I just really struggled to get into it. I have still given it three stars as I think if I was reading it holiday with zero distractions other than where my next cocktail is coming from I probably would've finished it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review, this is my honest opinion

Absolutely loved All in Her Head so was excited to get this ARC from Netgalley and Penguin/Viking books
Before I even get into the book let me just say Nikki Smith knows how to write a damn good page turner of a story! This is the story of six friends and what happened in 1989. All troubled people with secrets and keeps great pace as you try to work out who’s guilty of what. I loved the subtle references to the 80’s -the songs, mix tapes, Swatch, ra-ra skirts - 10/10 for research!
The tension builds up nicely throughout the book and all comes together nicely at the end 4.5⭐️
Nikki Smith is an author I’m always going to be drawn to as you know you’re in for a belter of a book

I was so excited to read this, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. It was so atmospheric, I felt like I was really there with all the characters. It just crackled with so much tension the whole way throughout, I read it in one sitting. Absolutely brilliant! I will definitely be buying from this author again.

Full of twists and turns, with complex characters and a plot that kept me guessing right to the end. Beautifully written and so atmospheric, I could feel the Mallorcan heat. The perfect holiday read.

This is the first book I've read from Nikki Smith, but - my goodness - it will not be the last!

The novel is fast - but well - paced, with a range of authentic, troubled characters, set in a beautiful and easily-imaginable location in Mallorca. The plot kept me guessing at every stage of the novel, not only as to who might still be alive but also which of the characters were guilty of what crimes, both present and past. No spoilers, but there were a couple of twists in the book that I did not see coming - this only added to my delight when I realised exactly what had happened and how.

The only reason it's a four star rather than five was that, despite reading the book very quickly over only two sittings (I didn't want to put it down!) I struggled to remember which character was which, finding myself having to skip back a few pages every now and then to remind myself. This happened between Will/Aidan and Zoe/Claire, while Nina and Seb were more firmly established, to me anyway.

Still, an excellent book which I highly recommend.

This was pretty much what you'd expect from the summer old friends reunion and someone ends up dead type story! There's not really anything new about this one but I still found it a good read. The writing style was good and although it's a bit slow, there are so many layers/ characters and deep dark secrets from the past. This is the kind of book that really works best when read by the pool on summer, otherwise you overthink it all lol

This is the first book I have read by Nikki Smith, I am looking forward to reading some of her others now after devouring The Beach Party in a day.

Strong We Know What You Did Last Summer vibes here. A group of friends escape to the sun after graduation. Things go wrong. They keep quiet and thirty years later, their secret is back to haunt them and threaten to upend their settled lives. Granted this is not the most original of story lines but the author takes the classic buried secrets of the past trope and elevates it with fast pace, strong characters, twists and turns and great writing. It kept me guessing and speedily reading until reaching its final conclusion. I think this one will be leaping off airport bookshop shelves next summer. It is a perfect holiday read.

Thank you for this advanced copy. I just couldn’t get into this book. I feel like this theme is way overdone. It just was very slow moving and I skipped to the back fairly quickly to see how it ended. Just not for me.

The Best Of Times…
A beach party in a Mallorcan villa changes everything for a group of six friends. It was the best of times…until it wasn’t. With the whole truth of that time back in 1989 not being fully uncovered someone feels the need to make responsible parties pay. With a seemless blend of past and present, a deftly drawn cast, twists and turns aplenty and a mounting sense of tension and impending doom this rapidly turns immersive.

Great book with short chapters.
Fast paced which keeps you intrigued from start to finish

4.5 stars

I LOVED Nikki's first two books, but THE BEACH PARTY is far and away my favorite of hers. The nostalgia, the moral dilemma, the lush Mallorcan setting... this book is a holiday on paper, whisking you away to a sunny place with a dark edge. Five stars.