The Engagement Party is a domestic thriller. It has everything you would expect. Wealthy privileged family with lots of secrets. Poor girl attracts wealthy boy who pretends he is not on good terms with his family. An engagement party that is over the top with shallow people who attend and finally a murder.

This sounded so much better in the promo than what actually in the book. The story is told in a first-person POV story. Kassandra is excited to meet Murray's family. But what she finds when she arrives is a snob for her future mother-in-law. Brothers who drink too much and a father who appears to be run by his wife.

The has disaster written all over the weekend festivities. Philip, Murray's father, announces his retirement and Beau, a non-family member will take over the reins of the family business. Beau ends up murdered and Kassandra will be in a fight to save her life.

Sorry, but this was predictable and not nearly as riveting as suggested.

Thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to this author’s debut novel.

After a short engagement Kass and Murray go to his families home, which is an really an estate. Sedgemont Estate is in North Carolina and she Kass realizes her finances family is very wealthy. He has always said he was not close to them so when send him an invitation to “their engagement party”, it’s a shock because he never told them.
Shortly after showing up Kass begins getting threatening social media messages. As the party begins a body is found. Who could have wanted to kill this person? What has Kass gotten herself into? Family secrets run rampant in this novel.

Thank you to Crooked Lane and Finley for an advance copy of The Engagement Party.

Kass and Murray have had a whirlwind romance culminating in an engagement just four short months after getting together. While still having their own private celebration, a letter arrives inviting them to an engagement party…THEIR engagement party, hosted by Murray’s parents. Upon arriving to North Carolina, Kass is informed that Murray’s family is wealthy, one of the wealthiest in the state. The Sedgmont’s are a force to be reckoned with and Kass isn’t sure that she has what it takes to join the ranks. As the evening of the party arrives and the house is flooded with guests, a dead body turns up making every guest a suspect.

On top of these things, Kass is also dealing with some of her own drama privately - anonymous messages to her social media account that started after her engagement. Is this a jealous ex of hers or Murray’s or someone hell bent on bringing Kass’s most devastating memory to light?

Anyone who has taken a peek at my reading history knows that I cannot resist a story that centers around rich people problems. The decadence and facade juxtaposition is one of my favorites that I doubt I’ll ever tire of.


This story was chock full of secrets - both the rich and not-so-rich were keeping important pieces of their pasts from each other. I couldn’t quite tell where the angle would be, and I think the addition of Kass’ mysterious messages was a great way to keep readers guessing if this was a family incident or something that involved the newest member.

I didn’t particularly like Kass. She was rough around the edges and quite shady in her own right while playing that she was not much more than an innocent target in everything. I actually did quite like the Sedgmont family, even though they gave me a slimy feeling like I should take a shower…this probably goes back to that whole personality trait of being absolute trash for rich people problems!

Finley did a great job at building suspense and even throwing in a little bit of a suspenseful horror feeling in the final act. The atmosphere came together nicely and I was completely sucked in and on the edge of my seat.

There were some small plot ‘holes’ that I wish I’d gotten more information on, but that’s not uncommon in a thriller and I don’t think having my guesses confirmed/denied would add or remove anything from the story. At the end of the day these types of whodunnits are supposed to be fun engrossing reads and it was 100% successful in that.

This is a debut novel, and I think Finley was successful in it and look forward to a sophomore release.

This one sounded right up my alley and I love suspense books that take place in a big, old house. The characters were very stereotypical "rich" people and the main character seemed immature/naïve. The mystery behind her wasn't well developed and the turn her fiancé made wasn't believable. Once things were revealed the book ended suddenly. It was just an ok read for me, but I would try the author again.

The Engagement Party is a solid, entertaining suspense. I enjoyed it, but, having said that, it's not a "wow" book. It follows a fairly standard fall in love, there's some intense drama, it works out kind of plot. Kass is a little more naive than I would have expected. Who doesn't have any idea about her fiancee's family, even from a casual internet search. I'm giving it a three-star rating, because it is a good book, but it's just not a must-know kind of book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This is about a newly engaged couple that are invited to the man’s family home in North Carolina for a party to celebrate their engagement. This will be the first time the woman will meet her new fiance’s family.
It does not go well. And then takes a turn for the worse.

Sometimes a dramatic thriller about the filthy rich hits just right, and that was the case with this one. It's quickly paced, features an over-the-top mansion setting and an incredibly wealthy family with secrets, and a protagonist who is harboring deep secrets of her own. Thoroughly enjoyable.

3.5 stars

When Kass gets engaged to her boyfriend Murray, she thinks her happily-ever-after is about to begin, instead after receiving a mysterious invitation to an engagement party thrown by his estranged family, Kass soon discovers that his family is uber-rich- and uber shady. Then someone dies, and Kass, an outsider to the glittering world of the 1% is the top suspect. Because not only was Murray hiding something, but Kass was too. And both their secrets could be the end of them.

I did enjoy reading this book: it had a great storyline and a great foreboding atmosphere. You were waiting for the “big bomb” to drop the entire time you were reading. And when the big twists came, they were pretty good. I enjoyed Kass’ deep dive into the insanity of the the insanely wealthy and powerful. And I did not guess that ending. It came out of left field for me. But in a good way.

But there were times I was like, “was she living under a rock or something?” I mean [MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD] why did she think he was struggling to pay rent when he bought her a three-carat ring? That thing had to be the size of a bowling ball, and she thought dude was poor? Please. And her rolling around the cringe scene? Woooow.

But aside from these, um, discretions, I did enjoy the book. Like I said, it was a fun foray into a different world and the mystery was really good, all things considered. I did not guess that ending!

I definitely recommend this book!

For me this was a miss. The story felt choppy and toward the end it started feeling like a wheel fell off a cart. Bumpy and all over the place. To me it read more like YA. The characters were all unlikeable and I don’t normally hate but the main character especially was a mess. So many poor choices one after another to the point of it being laughable. It was a fast read but not a satisfying one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 2.5⭐️

For the most part, The Engagement Party is a well-written, tense debut thriller, full of secrets and untrustworthy characters. Toward the end, however, it begins to suffer from an overabundance of thriller cliches and even suspending disbelief as much as possible doesn't quite get you where you need to be. There are some unsettling moments that stand out and a couple of twists that do catch you off guard, so that was enjoyable, and I think Turner has the ability to be successful. This book just fell a bit short for me overall.

Good mystery with a totally surprise ending - did not see the "who dun it" till the end!

Great plot - good character descriptions. Definitely a good first book. Would definitely read more from this author.

Great thriller. Solid writing. Easy to follow characters and still twisty enough! Will read more from this Author!

Murray and Kass are thrilled to be engaged but when a sudden invitation appears from Murray's family to attend an engagement party in their honour, Kass is nervous. She is yet to meet her new inlaws. What will they think of her? And what will they be like? 

I enjoyed reading this book though it did get a little hard to follow with so many characters to keep track of. The book did veer into slightly unbelievable territory towards the end, which I did not love, but I do think this is expected with the majority of thrillers. This was a solid debut from this author! I look forward to reading what she comes out with next.

This book did not flow well for me and although liked the premise felt when started it was reading a YA book,I fail to believe in 2023 that the main character would not have looked into who she was marrying,she hadn ‘t even asked about his family or knew he came from money???
So apologies but was a DNF for me

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

It's a nice book, but it's not one that I would read and reread time and again.
Overall it's an interesting book, but there's nothing that really sets it apart in the genre.

A great debut mystery / thriller. Imagine being invited to the engagement party of the century. The atmosphere was set up so perfectly. I felt like I was at a spooky big estate home with lots of rooms, hidden stairwells, long dark corridors and everyone is suspicious. A perfect set up!.

Suddenly this party turns deadly, classic WHO DUN IT? Lots of shocking revelations, family secrets, missing dresses, strange mishaps. Don't forget scary anonymous text messages. I felt like I was playing a game of Clue, who did it / with what weapon / in what room. Who could I trust? I'm excited to see what other books this author writes. Recommended read: definitely. Super entertaining and I binged it in half a day. Thank you Net Galley, the author and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

A mystery of big secrets and lies- and murder. Kass and Murray are happily living in Brooklyn but when they get engaged they find themselves heading to his family home (big home) in North Carolina for an engagement party. Kass is shocked to discover that his family has lots of money and that he's got twin brothers (big problem here- why didn't she ask how he paid for that whopping diamond or in this day and age, google him/mom/dad?) But that's passed over when someone starts threatening her by text and then there's a murder. No spoilers as to her secret- the one she's determined to protect. There's a bit of social commentary here, as well as some sly humor. While the set up strains credulity it's an entertaining read that might just keep you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut.

Two people newly engaged and one rich family with so many lies and secrets!! Interesting tale about the lies people hide. This story had a bit of mystery, intrigue , wealth and a lot of family dysfunction. I enjoyed this. The twist was somewhat predictable but it kept me reading to find out the secrets. Thank you to Netgalley and Crroked Lane Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Engagement Party by Finley Turner

Sometimes falling in love and getting engaged quickly works…and sometimes it might be better to take your time to really know one another before leaping into things. Kass and Murray will both learn a LOT more about one another at the engagement party being held in their honor at Muray’s parents’ home, Sedgemont Estate. This debut novel is well written and plotted with several common predictable situations to be dealt with and overcome. The writing is seamless but didn’t seem to draw me in or help me care about the characters or the outcome of their romance. I have to admit that I skimmed to get the gist of the story and decided that this book was not the best book for me to read at this time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review on my blog. I found it absurd to the point of being painful to read. The premise was fine but the execution was poor. Thank you for the opportunity.