the Girl at the Party by Danielle Stewart was just an okay read for me. The characters were not terribly compelling, and the plotline didn't really ramp up enough to warrant getting involved in the book. I feel like the podcast aspect is becoming a weak device to use in developing a story.

When their friend Stephanie is murdered on her way home the life of eight friends is changed for ever and after moving on with their lives in very different directions a new podcast aims to uncover the truth of that night and finally being the murderer to justice but everyone in the group is hiding things and one of them may just be the murderer and will do anything to protect the truth for getting out. This is a great read about how you never really know someone and some times some truths are too painful to bare.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me this ARC. The Girl at the Party by Danielle Stewart is in the adult fiction, mystery/thriller genre. This is the author’s first book.

The story is about a group of college friends. They have a big party one night in a house that several of them rent. Stephanie, one of the guests, leaves to walk home alone and is later found murdered. Stephanie’s friends are all devastated but most of them lose touch after graduation.

Five years later, one of the friends, Chris, who is a successful podcaster, decides to do a podcast about Stephanie’s murder. He enlists the help of Laura, another of the friends from the party, to help with the podcast.

Together, they revisit each of their friends and try to uncover who killed Stephanie.

I would classify this as more of a slow burn mystery as opposed to a thriller. There are some twists throughout the book but none were jaw dropping. I had figured out the ending about 2/3 into the book.

I was still entertained by the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries. Overall, a great debut novel from author Danielle Stewart. I will look forward to her next book.

A very well-written and captivating mystery. The characters develop so well as the story unfolds, multi dimensional and realistic. The two timelines add to the suspense and create a page-turner. Stewart captures the college years really well and the challenges of coming of age and how traumatic events can shape your life. A great, very engaging read!

In Danielle Stewart's captivating mystery, readers are taken on a thrilling journey of twists, secrets, and an enigmatic murder that keeps them guessing until the end. With a unique timeline and well-labeled chapters, the story unfolds between the present and a college party in the past, immersing readers in an engaging experience. The characters, each with their own secrets, add depth and intrigue. This book defies expectations and surprises with an unexpected ending. The pacing starts slow but picks up as the investigators unravel the truth. Stewart's writing style is sharp and detailed, building suspense and leading to an exciting climax. It's a solid mystery centered on a cold case podcast, and Danielle Stewart proves to be a talented writer.

Stephanie was murdered after walking home alone from a party. All of her friends have were seemingly devastated by her death but the police never found the perpetrator and put it down to a random killing. However, Chris one of the group of friends believes someone must know more than they are telling so he starts a podcast and ropes in Laura who was also at the party to help him interview their friends. It soon becomes obvious that they are opening a can of worms and someone will stop at nothing to derail the podcast. This was a twisty tale and seemingly almost everyone is hiding something. Very enjoyable.

Suspenseful, gripping, and fast-paced. I couldn't read this book quick enough to find out what happened.

Chris hosts a true crime podcast. He recruits his old college crush and friend Laura to help him investigate what really happened on the night of their college friend Stephanie's death. In order to do so they start questioning all the old friends who were present at the party on the night of Stephanie's death. Both of them start receiving threats to stop the podcast. As the story unfolds we find out each character has a lot on the line that could be brought to light by airing the podcast.
The timeline alternates between the current (2018) and the past at a college party in 2013. The chapters were clearly labeled and easy to keep track of the timeline. There were so many possible suspects as each character seems to have their own secrets and issues. I had a lot of theories, but could not be certain which one was accurate. Turns out none of them were completely accurate and I always consider it a great book when I can't guess what happens until it's revealed at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC.

Friends... You can have a laugh with them or they can cry with you. They have your back and support you even if they, maybe, not always believe that this is best for you. They respect you and don't try to change you. But if they don't accept you for who you are or what you stand for or believe in, you are better off without them.

Stephanie decides that enough is enough. Her so called best friends don't even see what is going on. Time to end this charade and time to stand up for herself. Unfortunately she never got that chance...

This group of young people who have a bright future ahead of them are all a bit shallow. They consider themselves best friends, but it seems like they don't really know each other at all. Their relationship is rather superficial. 

This is a story that takes us back to a party with a very shocking ending. Now, five years later, two of them try to get to the bottom of what went on. Not everybody is very pleased with that.

In the beginning it's a rather slow paced book where it's important the author gives the readers as much info as possible. Once the two investigators start uncovering the truth, the pace is turned up a few notches.

I enjoyed reading this book and I am looking forward to discover which stories the author has next up her sleeve. 4 stars

Thank you

I received the ARC for this book from NetGalley. Thanks NetGalley and Bookotoure for that!

I enjoyed this book. The pacing was perfect. I also enjoyed the multiple points of view. The book kept me guessing throughout. I would convince myself that one person was involved then another. I appreciate that twisting in a book. None of these characters were perfect and that was clear from thinking everyone could be guilty. I also felt the book took a look at how guilt, abuse, trauma can impact people differently and it showcased that guilt/abuse/trauma isn’t one size fits all. While the ending was maybe a little predictable, it was still a good read. It felt like something that could truly happen. My only critique is I felt some of the secondary charters could have had more time to shine. I also would have enjoyed more chapters from Stephanie’s POV. With that said, what was there worked well and tied it all together nicely. I recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and to be kept guessing.

A quick read for me.
Well written characters and overall an enjoyable story line.
I did work out the ending though.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
Solid four stars from me.

Solid mystery centered around the murder of a young woman and her friend group who reunite five years later to assist in a podcast about the cold case. The pacing is a little slow in the beginning but the writing style is sharp, beautifully detailed, and will lead you easily deeper into the mystery. The twist at the end is a mic drop. Danielle Stewart is a writer to watch! Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC!

This was such a good read, full of suspense, twists and a fantastically complex plot. An absolute page-turner that I read in one sitting. A solid 5 star for me!

A girl is murdered at a party and the police cannot catch the murderer and it ends up as a cold case. Five years later Chris who is running a successful podcast starts looking into the case again hoping to find the person who murdered his friend.

Chris teams up with Laura to find the murderer. After investigating it is clear that one of his friends is the murderer. A lot of secrets are revealed and threats are thrown towards them. The story is fast paced and it is an interesting read. The concept of finding the murderer through a podcast or a friend being a murderer is not new, but the double twist at the end is really great. Overall, it is a good read and is recommended to all mystery readers.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. It was very well written and the characters were well thought out.

This had a strong p!otline, lots of suspense, murder, mystery, red herrings. It was exciting, but I had guessed the outcome quite early on. I also didn't really connect with any of the characters; at least not enough to actually care what happened to them. And that left me with one foot out of this story the whole way through. Not bad, not great.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

This was a fairly quick and easy read, however I didn’t like or connect with any of the characters. I found the dialogue and character dynamics a bit childish / annoying, particularly the chapters told from Chris’s point of view. Overall not a bad book but would’ve been much a more enjoyable read if the characters were more like-able.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this book!

I very much enjoyed this story. very gripping and twisty. they were all close friends. they lived together. While at Uni. except for Stephanie she lived on campus. But one night everything changes. Stephanie is murdered, and they never found the killer. Chris one of her friends does Podcasts. And has decided to investigate. With the help of Laura. then the threats start each one of her friends has skeletons in the closet and they don't want anything coming out very good will keep you guessing until the end

The first chapter was a little slow but eventually things picked up and I had a hard time putting it down. The story is good and the format makes it very captivating. I did not see the twists coming which was really cool. The only improvement I would make is to have an editor or someone go through and parse some of the language that feels a little “high school essay” if you wanted to sell this as an Adult book.

This book had all the makings off a good thriller; murder, complicated friendships and suspense. But I felt like I knew how it would end quite early on ( and I did). I also had a hard time getting into this book as I felt the chapters were really long explaining the same thing over and over. The author is a magnificent writer and I look forward to trying another book.