3.5 ⭐️
The beginning of this book really intrigued me and kept me hooked as I wanted to know what happened. It was helpful that the book was on the shorter side otherwise it would have felt like it dragged on too much. I appreciate what Amy Stuart was trying to do with a slow burn and limited details but I didn’t like the twist and felt the story didn’t wrap everything up for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to say thank you to Killer Crime Club on Facebook as well as Netgalley and publishers for this advanced copy to read and review. I really enjoyed this read. Gave small town full of dark family secrets vibes. You start off with a death at the party. However you don't know who it is. You are then taken on the adventures of the day and how we got there. Definitely kept you guessing. I had a few top contenders but the book didn't end up going that way. However, not to give it away, I did have most of my suspicion on who it was due to the video, that the daughter and her friend made. Whenever teenagers say it's nothing, it usually ends up being something. I definitely will be recommending this book to all my fellow Thriller readers.

Thank you, Netgalley and Amy Stuart for the ARC of this book. This book takes place over the span of a single day. Nadine is throwing a 60th birthday party for her famous author mother. But memories of thd past haunt Nadine. It is also the anniversary of the mysterious death of her young aunt Colleen.
I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was so interesting. The writing was excellent. Characters were interesting. All of that being said, I was disappointed with the ending. I felt it was rather abrupt and left a little too much unfinished. 3.75 out of 5 ⭐️

I'm glad it was a short book, around 250 pages, because I wasn't drawn to pick up this book very much. It was a very slow burn and I'm not sure if it was because of how odd the birthday party was given the scenario with what happened at the last one 30 years ago, all the errands we followed the MC on in a short few hour span or how unlikeable the MC was but it took me a while to read.

The lead up for the entire book to the actual party was not overly exciting in the end and the ending felt somewhat predictable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A slow burn with a great twist. I found some of the character interactions felt forced or awkward but otherwise a great thriller

Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: March 7, 2023
Nadine Walsh is throwing a party for her mother, a celebrated author, and everything is going to plan. The caterers have been hired, the guests invited, and now all that’s left is the party itself. Nadine is hopeful this party will erase the memory of the last party her mother held- the one thirty years ago where Nadine found her aunt’s dead body in the barn on her grandparents’ property. And yet once again, Nadine finds herself leaning over another dead body while the party is in full swing. How did she wind up here, yet again?
Canadian author, Amy Stuart’s fourth novel, “A Death at the Party”, is addictive, gripping and emotional. Set over the course of one day as Nadine prepares for the party to celebrate her beloved mother, family secrets are revealed, one that leaves a body on the bathroom floor.
I am new to Stuart, so I was unsure what to expect, but I’m so glad I took the chance. Told in three sections, “morning”, “afternoon” and “evening”, all with Nadine as the narrator, Stuart builds the tension slowly, then lets it out like a balloon with a slow leak. Nadine is recovering from a major injury, with her mental wellness constantly questioned by those around her, adding yet another mystery to the ever-growing pile. Could Nadine be more unstable than she realizes?
I loved Nadine’s smart, independent streak and the fierce love she has for her family. I rallied for her from the beginning and as the story plays out, I loved her even more (despite her flaws). As the guests arrive, more and more information about Nadine’s past plays out, and the suspect (and victim) pool grows larger, making the ‘guess who’ portion of this novel an intricate, yet digestible, mystery until the very end.
I love discovering new (to me) Canadian authors, and am overjoyed to welcome Stuart to my list. Her delightful and suspenseful novels will be on my watchlist going forward.

Was happy to include this book in my latest “Thrills and Chills” round-up for Zoomer magazine, highlighting winter’s best suspense and mystery reads. (see mini-review at link)

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: March 7, 2023

Nadine has been a compulsive planner all her life - but even she couldn’t plan for this. On the day of the big birthday party for her famous novelist mother, everything is going according to plan - cheese check, decorations check, guest list check - but a flash forward to that evening reveals the death of an unknown man. How does this day go so wrong? Has the past come back to haunt her? Who is dead? And why??

PROS and CONS:
Interesting premise for a story - knowing immediately that someone is dead, but not sure who or why. Then going backwards in time to lead up to the event. I should have been very happy reading a book like this, but the main character Nadine was just super frustrating - she’s supposed to be so busy on the day of the party, making lists and delegating tasks - but nothing is getting done other than trips down memory lane (and to the corner store for more cigarettes.) I enjoyed the first and last parts, but in the middle I found myself just wanting to get to the main event. The evening portion of the book was great as everything fell into place.

READ IT?
If you’re looking for…an intriguing mystery from a Canadian author - then this one’s for you!

4 Stars

Okay I have been so lucky lately with such great eARCs! This book for me was fantastic. I am a huge fan of Amy Stuart. I was on the edge of my seat and could not stop reading. I read this book within 48 hours which is extremely fast for me right now! I would suggest this book to any domestic thriller lover! This book. Dang. Can't wait to see what Amy does next!

4.5 rounded up to 5!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley!

🇨🇦 Canadian Alert!
My first time reading this Canadian author and it won't be my last! I was captivated by this story from the first page until the very last. I loved the writing style.

It opens with a shocker. A death has occurred at a party. We know who has done it but we don't know the victim or why. The story then goes back to the beginning of the day. I loved that this is a story told in a single day. That concept kept me turning those pages. Nadine, has planned a 60th birthday party for her mother, the legendary mystery writer, Marilyn Millay. We follow her throughout the day as she prepares for the party. Her story slowly unfolds and there are some flashbacks to another party exactly 30 years ago to the day.

I thought this was a clever idea for a story. Highly entertaining!

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for granting me access to this Advance Readers Copy. Available March 7, 2023.

Nadine Walsh, her family and over one hundred guests are celebrating her mother's 60th birthday. The food is excellent and the alcohol is flowing. Nadine is stunned to find herself standing over a dead body. But as hostess she has guests to attend to. Her life has been a rollercoaster of emotions lately and her past haunts her. However, she is not the only one with secrets.

Set over one day, rife with deception and flashbacks, A Death at the Party is anxiety-inducing (in a good thrillery way) and chock full of suspense. Author Amy Stuart excels at creating atmosphere and satisfying endings, including this one.

Though the plot is fantastic, the graphic language is a bit much at times. I also hate reading about affairs, immature adults and disrespectful teenagers but those are just personal preferences. Just know abuse of minors is also mentioned.

My sincere thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this engrossing book.

UGH Amy Stuart is SO underrated, I loved her Still series and was so excited to hear she was releasing a new standalone. It was a captivating story and it didn't drag on. It was a perfect one day escape from reality. I also cannot get over how beautiful the cover is!

I love the way this is written that we know who did it, but not who is dead or why. It adds a different layer to the thriller genre, and we certainly need something different to the normal "whodunit" books out there.

My biggest complaint is how slow the leadup to the party felt. I couldn't connect to Nadine at times. Some of the things she did throughout the errands didn't seem to match up to what we were being told about her past or who she was, and I hate people who have affairs, so I couldn't feel like she was likable just from that. I really wanted to know who she killed and why, though. If i could have connected to her more, I would have rated this five stars.

Enjoyed this read that’s a twisted tale spanning years and a family and friends deep dark secrets. The story was easy to read and I found myself about half way through not wanting to put it down. It’s an interesting take on how paths cross over the span of years. As the story progresses and the lies and interactions with characters start overlapping you can feel what is coming. An interesting read for sure.

I voluntarily received a free copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.
I would recommend this book to friends , family and my book clubs

This book starts off with Nadine in the bathroom with a man dying on the floor beside her at her mother’s 60th birthday party. Then we get to start with her waking up that day and follow along with every moment that leads to her in this situation. Throughout the day we get flashbacks to a moment when someone else died at her mom’s 30th.

This book was fantastic. I adored Nadine and weirdly connected with her (I promise my life is not as dramatic though). Her anxiety was contagious and I got completely caught up in her thoughts and feelings.

This one was slow building suspense, with constant twists and turns and revelations. There were some parts that seemed a bit odd. like I would have done a lot of digging earlier on in my life with some of these odd connections to friends she had. But still, the writing was so emotional that I really was invested. I would make a great binge-read if you can go through it quickly! Like I said I got so lost in Nadine’s head it would have been great to finish this one in one sitting.

Highly recommend this one, I can’t wait to see more people reading it when it comes out on March 7th!

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for my advanced copy!

I can’t wait to read more from Amy Stuart, she also has a trilogy out that I have already added to my TBR. Oh and bonus points for being Canadian. 🎉

3.5 stars for this one.
I did enjoy this book but I don’t remember it, if that makes any sense. What I mean by that, is I finished it last night and upon writing the review this morning I can’t remember what happened. I don’t remember who died. I don’t really know what that says about the book in that sense.
Now that being said, I read this book in two days while working two 12 hour shifts. It was really easy to read and kept me interested. There were lots of little twists and turns and what I thought was going to happen didn’t. I like that in a book. I get disappointed when I can predict a book, but I couldn’t in this one.
I thought the character development for the main character was perfect. It was a great evolvement from someone you can relate to, to someone who has lots of twisty secrets.
I would recommend this book to people if mystery/thriller is your thing.

Brilliantly twisted and thrilling, this will leave you hungry for a garden party full of mystery this summer

You know when you have a bad feeling about someone? I did not trust any of the mal characters throughout the book. After almost half, I couldn't shake the uneasiness it brought me. They did something bad or they are involved in something.

A mind affected by trauma is often forgetful. The memories are unreliable. You know Nadine suppressed what happened to Colleen and it's all gonna come out during that evening, 30 years later.

This novel starts like a old whodunit. You know what happens, it starts with the crime. But what lead to it? What caused it? Is it an accident? Who died from the hands of Nadine, how and why? Was she responsible or is it just circumstancial?

This novel was so fast paced that I could catch a breath. I had to keep turning the pages to know what happened. My heart kept fluttering with anticipation in my chest. I loved every pages of it!

If you're looking for an interesting take on a murder mystery with many side stories, this is it!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars! I was enjoying the storyline and almost was giving this book a 4-star rating UNTIL the end!! I have so many questions! :) It takes place in one day, all the emotions. You have a cast of characters that make this a gritty page-turner. I can see why Shari Lapena called it a mad delight. I am so afraid to drop a spoiler. Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon&schuster Canada for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

First I just love seeing Canadian authors on NetGalley. I will almost always request their books if they are thrillers.

This book had a lot of great aspects:
- The opening line was fantastic (you might even recognize it!) and drew me in
- We know someone is nurdered but we don’t know why or who is the ‘death at the party’. And let me say kudos because you don’t know until the end, it definitely is a surprise
- It’s a shorter, quick read.
- We’ve got two mystery’s going on - one from 30 years and present day I enjoyed that the mystery of the past is not every other chapter but instead presented in we’ll organized flashbacks.

Despite everything I like about this book it’s not quite a 5 star read for me - the pacing is just a little off - A LOT of the book is Nadine running errands before the party. I get it, I promise I get it - we needed a way to meet our characters and develop a scenario in how we could picture most of them as the murder victim at the party but it was a lot. Also a lot? The number of characters, there are quite a few characters to keep straight.

Overall though this was a very enjoyable, quick read and definitely worth picking up!