This book was so-so, in my opinion. It started off a little on the boring side, then picked up a bit, but then ended as a big mess. The last 20% of the book seemed like it was thrown together quickly and that the author was trying to tie up all the loose ends, resulting in an unbelievable ending. This is the first book by this author and unfortunately, I don't think I will read anything else she puts out or recommend it. (Sorry.) 2.5 - 3 stars.

The Engagement Party is a debut thriller from author Finley Turner. The genre of the book is adult fiction mystery/thriller.

The book is told from a single POV in the first person narrative. Kassandra and Murray are a newly engaged couple living in NYC. They scrape by on their two salaries in NY but Murray comes from an ultra wealthy family in North Carolina.

An invitation comes from Murray’s family, the Sedgemonts. They are throwing a huge engagement party for Kass and Murray. When Kassandra arrives she is overwhelmed at their home and wealthy friends. Kassandra not only doesn’t come from wealth, she is also harboring a deep secret. Someone knows her secret and starts sending threatening messages to her social media.

During the party one of the guests is found dead. The police encourage everyone to stay in the home while they investigate. Kass is accused of the crime since she is an outsider among the rich and powerful.

I really loved the pace of the book and the chapters kept me wanting more. I enjoyed reading this during a thunderstorm when there was a thunderstorm in the book as well. I love a stormy night/locked door mystery.

My only criticism would be that I wanted to know more about what happened to some of the other characters at the end, but I was satisfied with the conclusion regarding Kassandra.

The Engagement Party will be released on November 7, 2023. Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Finley Turner for this ARC in exchange for review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Engagement Party by Finley Turner published by Crooked Lane Books
I thought this novel was allright, it just didn't grip my attention like other novels. Plot was there, characters were decent and well described, but I unfortunately I was bored reading it.
The story centers on Kassandra and her fiancee Murray, who have just become engaged. His parents are throwing and engagement party for them, so they are traveling to spend the weekend. Once they arrive, Kass is in awe of the property and realizes how rich Murray's parents are, but that doesn't make up for how his mother treats her. She slowly begins to realize she may not want to be part of this family.
I found that I just couldn't buy into the reality of the story, it was "too" fictional for me. At times Kass came across as having street smarts but other times her actions didn't make sense.
I give it 2.5 rounded to 3 stars
I would read another novel by this author however

When I went to mark this as “currently reading” on Goodreads, I noticed most of my friends had given it three-star ratings. A three-star book is still decent to me, so I went on, knowing there might be boring bits. I found that there were none! I wouldn’t call this a page-turner, but I was invested in the entire story.

I think the reason for the low-ish ratings may partly have to do with the formula this follows: a whirlwind romance, an insanely wealthy family in the one percent, a party where someone is murdered, which becomes a whodunnit. It’s a formula that is classic but slightly overdone. As long as you don’t mind that, you’ve got a pretty good book on (or in) your hands!

Kassandra and Murray (yes, like the dog on “Mad About You” - there was even a reference to his name sounding like a dog’s) are the couple in the whirlwind relationship, and they’ve just gotten engaged after only a few months. They envision a courthouse wedding with friends, and a chill after-party with some PBR and kush. A few days after their engagement though, they receive a VERY formal invitation to their own engagement party - to be hosted at the estate of Murray’s parents.

Murray has always been quiet about his family and past, and Kass hasn’t questioned it because she has secrets too (classic). He has said he has a brother, and that his family is full of “rich assholes”. Still, they decide to leave Brooklyn for North Carolina and to this dreaded party. They’ve pulled together this party so quickly, and Kass has to meet them eventually…right?

When they arrive at the estate (no this is not your typical house), Kass is almost angry that Murray never told her this his family was THIS rich. She’s anxious to meet the family, but you guessed it, she meets the butler and maid before any of the family. Finally, it’s time for day-drinking cocktails and a very nerve-wracking meeting.

In my mind, I’ve cast Beatrice and Phillip, the parents, as Meryl Streep (as Miranda Priestly) and the late Prince Phillip. They are obviously in a separate class, and Kass feels pretty inferior at this point. Then she’s blindsided again - the brother that Murray talked about are actually two brothers: Emmett and Kennedy, identical twins. Why wouldn’t he have mentioned that?

Then we get to the party - there are a lot of characters because of the magnitude of the event, and when the murder happens, everyone is told to stay there until the police can talk to them. Then this is just a case of who committed the murder, and why.

Formulaic as it may be, I thought this was really well-written, especially for a debut novel. The past stories that Kass and Murray have tie together perfectly with the theme of the party, and the ending was something I definitely didn’t see coming. Sometimes a book is just good because it’s entertaining, and that’s the case with this one. Four stars!

(Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Finley Turner and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on November 7, 2023.)

I really enjoyed this one! It felt a little similar to the movie Ready or Not, which I also loved.

I loved how while Kass was surrounded by all of these people the isolation she was experiencing was easy for the reader to experience, too.

I enjoyed the connections between Murray’s past and Kass’ and how all of that tied in to the ending.

This was a good read overall and I would absolutely read another by Finley Turner!

Finely Turner hooked me with this book! I could not put it down! I have mentioned this to several friends and will definitely be sending it out to friends for a great read! It had me wanting more and more! I could not put it down!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Kass is engaged to Murray but it was a whirlwind romance so does she really know him?
His mother sends an invite to their engagement party. Kiss is shocked when she sees his home and realize how well off they are, Kass is receiving threatening texts. Who is sending these and why? So many secrets and then there is. a murder and all eyes turn to Kass. Can she prove she’s innocent?

This one was just okay for me…..

Kass just got engaged to Murray and within a week his surprise uber wealthy family whom she’s never met is throwing them a lavish engagement party at their sprawling mansion. Obviously there’s a lot more than meets the eye and chaos ensues.

The premise of this story was promising but I don’t think it ever really got to the finish line. Kass could’ve been a good character but she was so dumb at times, even for a fictional character, that I caught myself rolling my eyes more than once. I mean, honestly, what innocent person (who is the main suspect) goes into a crime scene the next day and basically rolls around in all of the blood and touches everything?!

I would’ve loved more back story on Kass, Murray, and the twins. I think that would’ve really helped bring the story to a stronger conclusion.

Overall, I think this is a decent debut novel and look forward to what the author comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The Engagement Party is a locked room romantic mystery. Or is it?

Kass becomes engaged to a very wealthy man. A rapid invitation to his parents house for an engagement party reveals his family is far wealthier than she thought and that her soon to be mother in law is more than a handful.

Kass begins receiving social media threats. Her fiancee's friends and family see her as an interloper. She has deep secrets that she does not share. At the engagement party someone is murdered. Her past comes to light and she has to come to turn with her past to solve the mystery and prove herself innocent.

This was a quick, entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

I enjoyed this thriller as it has a gothic vibe to it and Turner kept the action going throughout! Kass and Murray get engaged and his wealthy parents throw them an engagement party but it's odd that they seemed to have known about it before Murray even asked her. But regardless, they travel to visit the family but Kass is overwhelmed by so many things: mother-in-law's fascination/repugnance, twin brothers who are odd, the ex-girlfriend who is gorgeous, and above all; the creepy, rambling house with its secret corridors and rooms. But Kass has a secret of her own and she harbors guilt over her part in a catastrophe. When all things coalesce (of course during a thunderstorm), all hell breaks loose and everything is exposed! Fast and furious (and fun)!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Kass Baptiste loves her fiance but realizes she knows very little about him when his ultra rich parents throw a surprise engagement party at their estate. Who is Murrays' parents? Why is Kass recieving threatening texts now that she is engaged. Kass has a few secrets of her own that she is dealing with and they are mostly revealed when a murder occurs at the party! Will Kass survive this very lavish and very dangerous weekend?
Fun story line and interesting premise! A great tale for anyone interested in family secrets! #CrookeLanebooks

I was instantly intrigued by the title and cover of this novel. Kass pulled my attention in right away as the main character and I kept wanting to learn more about her currently as well as her past self. She is in a whirlwind relationship with her fiancé murray and they are forced to go to an engagement party to celebrate with his family that he hardly talks to. At the party, Kass meets many people and there even is a murder.

A quick locked door style mystery! Kass has recently gotten engaged to Murray, then his estranged family invites them back home for an elaborate engagement party. Things seem suspicious to Kass from the start, but when someone ends up dead at the party things go to a whole other level.

This wasn’t the most suspenseful read for me, I wasn’t really surprised by anything that happened. It was a decent read, but I wouldn’t shout from the rooftops that you should read it too.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC.

This book was just ok for me. It centers on Kass, who is engaged to her fiancé Murray after a whirlwind romance when she finds out that his parents are super rich and are throwing them a party. When tragedy strikes, Kass, who is keeping her own secrets, finds out that Murray has some secrets of his own.

First of all, I found it completely ridiculous that Kass didn’t have any idea about Murray’s family. Don’t you google the person you are dating early in the relationship? Continually, there is mention of a 3 karat ring when she constantly talks about them struggling to keep up with rent- didn’t she wonder how he afforded that? If you can get beyond Kass’s wide-eyed naïveté about Murray’s background, she did show some chutzpah when things got tough, which endeared me to her a bit. Though I didn’t figure out the twist early, I think that is because there were too many coincidences and not enough breadcrumbs laid to get me there.

Overall, it was a decent read but I really had to suspend my disbelief in order to get behind these characters. The mystery was ok but I wasn’t fully invested in it. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very meh. It started out quite intriguing. Then it slowed to a snail's pace and literally nothing happened. I was so bored I skimmed most of the rest of the book.

The Engagement Party was an ok read but didn't stand out like I had hoped for when I read the blurb.

An engagement party being held by your finance's wealthy and secretive family on an estate with suspicious people and a murder sounds like something similar to the movie Ready or Not but this didn't have as much action and thriller.

It had great potential when the night of the party popped off but everything else was kind of boring and uninteresting. The plot took too long to develop and there wasn't much character development. I didn't like any of the characters except Kass but being in her head almost most of the book got annoying and I would have rather spent more time reading about the events going on. The end was a bit abrupt and I felt there were things left unresolved.

The writing was good though and the author did a good job detailing the creepiness of the estate and the partygoers but I just wanted a bit more unease and a sense of doom.

Thank you NetGalley, Finley Turner and Crooked Lane books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book. Of course I only request books I think I’m going to really like reading. This book was not for me. It was actually down right boring. Early on you get a glimpse that Kass has a fear of enclosed or small spaces and the story unfolds from there. I would give this author another try through. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

Kass Baptiste says yes to the marriage proposal of Murray Sedgement, whom she believes is the man of her dreams and everything changes the next day. They find out that his family, who unbeknownst to her, is an extremely wealthy and powerful NC family, plans an over the top engagement party for hundreds down at their estate home and Kass and Murray must fly down. Murray had always claimed " non involvement " with his family so this was a surprise.
The Engagement party is the start of unmitigating suspense, mayhem, including murder and one person turning on the next. Kass immediately becomes the main suspect as her relationship with Murray, grows complicated and less than ideal.
The story is rich in mystery and intrigue with very dysfunctional but clearly entertaining, at times, characters both of the family and family friends & associates.
A good study of rich people behaving badly and a well defined lesson in how not to act when your bank account exceeds 7 zeroes.

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.