The 60th birthday party for a celebrated author is in full swing but tucked away in a dark corner of the house, a guest has expired. Who and why? Built on painful secrets, the family is rife with motives.

There were so many layers to this story and virtually every character had an indiscretion they needed to hide. With all of the twists and turns, it would seem that the book would rapidly become too complicated to follow - not so. Somehow, the author juggled the threads of at least a dozen main characters while allowing the reader to follow along effortlessly. This novel is a slow burn that ends with a spectacular flash-bang at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the chance to read this eARC. As always, my opinions are my own, honest and true.

3.5 stars rounded up.
Nadine is throwing a 60 th birthday party for her mother, who is a bestselling author. Secrets are uncovered from events that happened 30 years ago. There’s blackmail, murder, and mayhem. Loved that it all took place in one day. Morning, afternoon, and evening.
If you enjoy thrillers, you will enjoy this book.
Makes me want to read more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the arc copy for an honest review.

This was my first Amy Stuart book. I found her writing well-paced and easy to read. "A Death at the Party" follows, Nadine, a stressed-out and protective mother while she prepares for her catastrophic party. The book is split into 3 parts (morning, afternoon, evening), and although we don't get to the party until the third half, the first part is so necessary to build up the story and character backgrounds. There are twists and turns that keep you guessing and engaged. Sometimes, my pet peeve in mystery books is when the author continually refers to "secrets", but doesn't reveal anything at all until the last few pages. But not in this book! The flow is consistent and so are the reveals. I really enjoyed "A Death at the Party", however I wouldn't call this book a thriller, but it is a wonderful little mystery. Great quick read!

This is an interesting book about a very strong and controlling woman, mother, wife who is driven into finally resolving how her aunt died unexpectedly at her mother's 30th birthday party. The book centres on the last minute details and tasks of the woman as she prepares for her mother's 60th birthday. The mother is a now famous writer and so this party is the place to be, including the presence of a journalist who is intent on finding out some new material about the writer. The twists and turns of her very busy day and the convoluted interactions that her husband had and now she has with several of her close neighbour husbands and merchants slowly reveal how they all had some inappropriate connection with her aunt. The great reveal comes clear to her at this party and she takes it upon herself to kill the aunt's killer. The aunt turns out to be her sister, a fact which her mother shares at the party in order to scoop the journalist's scoop. This book is one that demonstrates the impact that one's early years have on a person and contributes to our adult interests and obsessions.

Okay so I can’t lie the majority of why I requested this book was for the cover alone. I mean come on, how gorgeous is this? Also, CANADIAN AUTHOR.

I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that this is about a death, that happens at a party. Big positive about this book: it’s short. I mean that in a good way! I say that because the entire book spans over the course of a only single day. If it was any longer I’d probably be annoyed.

The book opens with the ‘end’ of the murder scene, and then chronologically goes through the day of the party. It was definitely an interesting approach because you are left wondering who was actually murdered and why. There are a few different plot lines going on and it leaves you constantly wondering how this will lead to someone’s death; everyone feels like a suspect at one point or another. It finally comes full circle right before the end which I thought was really well done. I was happy with the ending, even if it was left on somewhat of a cliff hanger!

Thank you to NetGallery and Simon & Schuster Canada for this eARC!

I enjoyed A Death at the Party. It was a well paced read with some twists along the way. This novel will show the length people go to protect their loved ones. If you're looking for a good thriller give this a read.

A captivating rollercoaster of jaw dropping moments. Fast paced and breakneck speed suspense. So many twists and turns. Super likeable characters in a well thought out plot. Wonderfully written story that grabs you from page one and keeps you up late reading.

A Death at the Party – Amy Stuart

4/5 Stars

@amystuartwriter

Thank you @netgalley and @simonschusterca for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

First of all, I just want to start by saying that Amy Stuart lives in Toronto! I was happy to read a novel by a local author.

I really enjoyed this book. It takes place all in one day as Nadine and her family prepare for a party, but at the same time, she is recalling the past and a tragedy that took place exactly 30 years ago.

The book starts with a death (not a spoiler as it’s literally in the title!) and from there you begin to find out that Nadine is a woman with a lot of secrets. The author drops little pieces and clues that made me want to keep reading to find out more. I even forgot at one point that I was supposed to be trying to figure out who died at the party, because I was trying to figure out so many other secrets – this book has a lot of layers.

I will say that I wish we got a bit more at the end. Without spoiling, it felt like it wrapped up just a little bit too quickly and I wanted more explanation for certain actions.

Would recommend to anyone that wants a pretty quick, easy thriller type book that keeps them guessing.

Description: “In this tense, spellbinding thriller set over the course of a single day, a woman prepares for a party that goes dreadfully wrong.”

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

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Rating: Unoriginal / 5

DNF at 20 pages in.

Ugh.

Just...ugh.

Sometimes, you go into a book thinking that surely, surely, by now someone will have gotten over the cliches and unoriginal tropes of the genre and go for something original, something new.

But...NOPE.

Not the case for this book, which turns me off even reading it. The writing's as stilted and as bland as anything that I've ever read.

The main character's a woman who's "happily" married, but has a history of infidelity--hers, in this case.

What a shocker.

She has teenage kids that she worries about, who may also be hiding secrets--and thereby following her bad example.

Yawn.

Oh, and did I mention that she lives a seemingly "perfect" life in suburbia?

*yawns again*

Yup. Nope.

thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this before its official release in exchange for an honest review.
this book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! i had no idea who to trust or what role anyone played. i quite enjoyed this book and its crazy plot twists, especially the ones near the end!
i love how pretty much all of the characters had a backstory/ side event that all tied together towards the end and allowed everything to fall into place so interestingly. i had such a clear image of all of the characters in my head due to how well written they were!
would love love love to read more books from this author!
5/5 stars!

I received this as an ARC from netgalley. This review is my own and honest.

This book didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t a good thriller in my opinion and it was very slow.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 151 of 2022. This was my first read by this Canadian author, but I will be looking into more of her books. In some ways, the party mystery really stretches out over the couple hundred pages, but I think that this also helped pull me into the story. There were a few different storylines and a couple of twists along the way. Check out Goodreads for a few trigger warnings. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ fast-paced read in my books, and the perfect way to relax & continue to feel better.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
A Death at the Party releases March 7, 2023

2.5

I was really excited to read this. The synopsis paints an enticing picture — a large bustling party, where a guest is found dead in the basement. Who is it, how did they get there, what was the motive?
Unfortunately this was really mostly a women’s fic, and maybe 5% thriller at best.
The pacing was so off — the party didn’t actively start until 80% through, and the basement element was nearing 93%.

Our main character, Nadine, is a mother to two teens, and daughter to a famed writer.
She’s hosting a large party for her mother’s 60th birthday, but it’s not only just a birthday, it’s also the 30th anniversary of the death of Colleen — a family member that Nadine can’t quite let go of.

This story is set during one day in July. Most of it surrounds Nadine and her memories of the past, and the loss of Colleen. A lot of these characters and neighbours seem to conveniently have ties and connections that intermingle.

Content warnings:
- cheating/marital affair
- a teen overdosing on pills and in a coma
- a teen with diabetes (needle use)
- the casual integration of “how are you on the psycho-meter today?” when the character is just flustered/stressed…
- child predator/teen pregnancy