What on earth did I just read?? That was crazy! Talk about getting your blood pumping! The twists and turns just kept coming; boy was this one a nail biter. Four friends arrive on a remote island to celebrate their friend’s engagement, but little do they know, there is a killer on the island, and they are stranded, in a bad storm to top it off. Somebody knows their secret, but who? No one could be trusted. The characters were, for the most part, horrible people, so I never had an attachment to any character thinking, oh no, I hope they don’t die; I really just wanted to know if any of them would fall victim to the killer! This one was definitely a scary one; close to horror, but not quite there. It was the perfect mix of a closed room thriller and mystery that left you with a nice twist at the end.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks and @NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None - bodies show up regularly in this one. Good plot twists and thrills - takes place on an island when some former school mates get together for an engagement party!

I enjoy locked room mysteries quite a bit, so I was eager to read this upcoming release by Darby Kane. The Engagement Party did not leave me disappointed! It was this perfect cross between mystery and psychological thriller. While I had a gut feeling of what the long-time secret really involved, the ending totally surprised me! I loved it, and I look forward to reading more from Darby Kane.

What a read!!! This one definitely kept me intrigued. I loved the multiple POVs it wasn't too much and gave insight to the characters. I would love to see this one turned into a movie or TV series.

What happened to Emily Hunt? She died right after graduating from college. Her six friends have gone on with their lives. Are Jake, Will, Alex, Cassie, and Mitch truly as innocent as they claim? When Alex gets engaged his fiancee (Ruthie) invites the friends to an island engagement party. Mitch brings along his friend Sierra as a plus one -- poor thing. Then a storm blows in, bodies start piling up, and all hell breaks loose. Darby Kane takes this thriller into horror genre territory. I could see this book playing out on a movie screen and often wanted to close my eyes. Unfortunately the action through that long stormy night gets a bit repetitive. There was too much of the same questions being asked while the guilty were stonewalling the process. And, note to self, check the weather forecast before embarking on the tenuous connection to an isolated island. My favorite part of this book was the chapters marked as "Book Notes." They functioned like a True Crime podcast on the case. When the characters were lying to us and to each other, those notes were like a breath of fresh air. For me they were worth adding on a star in my rating. Another engaging title from Darby Kane.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of And Then There Were None, this one will probably hit the mark!

I enjoyed this one for a thrilling page-turner that kept me on my toes. There were a lot of things I could pick apart about it, but I'll just leave it alone and let you figure it out on your own!

The Engagement Party takes place on an isolated island, where 4 friends and 2 strangers are celebrating an engagement. Almost as soon as they arrive, things take a dark turn and everyone is left to ask themselves how well they really know the people around them.

I loved the "true crime" elements of this one and the tie-in about internet/vigilante justice when it comes to certain high-profile cases. For fans of thrillers, mysteries, true crime, and slashers, The Engagement Party will be a fun read!

**Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC of this title.**

I love locked room mysteries and I thought I knew what to expect when I dove into The Engagement Party. It is a thriller/mystery but it is also kind of scary!? There were a few parts of the story that read almost like a horror movie (which I liked!) My heart was palpating and I was glued to the page trying to figure out what was actually happening on the island. I enjoyed the pacing and the twists at the end were satisfying!

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane
Release Date: 12/5/23
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️✨

I love a good locked room mystery so this book was an instant request for me! Big thank you to @netgalley for the arc of this upcoming thriller!

Though I’ve never read her before, I’ve heard great things about Darby Kane and I was excited to jump into this book! It seemed promising from the beginning but unfortunately fell very flat for me.

There were so many unlikable characters in this novel and the plot just didn’t suck me in enough to care about their outcome. I think the setting was great but, sadly, the plot and backstory just wasn’t developed enough for me.

You.👏🏻Guys.👏🏻 This book was crazy from the jump. It’s like an onion; ALL of the layers! It had the perfect level of “what the hells happening?!” that I love in a good thriller. Just enough to keep you guessing but not so little that you’re just confused and loose interest. You’ve got it all when it comes to characters: some you love and you’re rooting for, some you kind of hope get killed off, and some that are just absolute mysteries. Loved the short chapters as it allows for quick perspective switches and gives the book a faster, always moving, feel to the pacing. I also loved that it’s broken up with “book notes” as a way to give some background into previous events of the college friends while also working to build the backstory of another character. The end was a little too twisty turner and while incredible was a little bit difficult to keep up with but I think that’s really more of a me thing than the author herself! If you haven’t preordered this one yet you’ve still got a couple days to do so!

This might just be Darby Kane's best work yet. At least for me. I completely binged this book and was utterly shocked by every twist and turn it took. I've read a lot of locked room mysteries (one of my favorite tropes) and thought The Engagement Party was incredibly well done.

Sure, some of the elements won't surprise you. I feel like with any good thriller you should be able to guess a few of the things that are going to happen, because then when a huge twist comes, you truly won't see it coming. That's exactly how I felt reading this.

Whether you're already a Darby Kane fan, a locked-room thriller fan, or even if you're neither, I recommend checking this one out. It's definitely a good one.

Thank you, Willam Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC!

Reading about despicable characters generally turns me off on a book. When bad characters meet a justified reward then I'm a bit intrigued. I cannot say that this book made me feel good. A general sense of disgust stayed with me throughout the book because I couldn't find any likeable quality about these college friends. I did feel bad for Sierra who showed up to have a nice getaway. Little did she know the deaths that would follow.

I have seen a lot of mention of "I Know What You Did Last Summer". Since I never watched that movie, I cannot speak to it. I can say that this book reminds me of the board game Clue which I loved. Whodunnit? Who is the killer, how did they commit the crime and why?

This story became a page turner for me because I wanted to know what happened. There are several red herrings that didn't quite throw me off the scent. I had my killer and motive in mind from the beginning. As the story unfolded, I changed it a few times and at the end, I felt good. Is it bad to root for the killer? I find as I get older and older, I tend to sympathize with the "bad" guy more. Although truth be told, there were so many shallow characters in this story. Shallow not as two dimension. As in vain characters that come across as no value added. People who would stab you in the back in a heartbeat to get what they wanted. Showing off how they are doing better to make someone feel bad instead of celebrating for each other's successes. I did find this book a good reminder of how not to treat people.

Ms. Kane wrote a fast paced suspenseful thrilled that kept my attention til the end. Recommended for readers who enjoy seeing the dregs of "high society" cannibalize each other.

The Engagement Party was a fast paced wild ride of a closed room thriller, and I had a great time reading it.

When a group of college friends gather for an engagement party on a remote island only accessible via golf cart at low tide, secrets and lies from their past threaten to spill over into present day. Twelve years ago, their friend Emily was killed on the night of their graduation. The main suspect died shortly thereafter, and the case was closed. Several of the friends had been suspects, and the whole crew is hiding something. A body turns up on the island with a note threatening that the truth must come out, and the friends are in for a wild night fighting for survival.

The friends in this story are so very unlikable, but in a way that made them incredibly fun to read about. Alliances are formed pretty quickly once bad things start happening, and their night goes from bad to worse as accusations start flying around.

The book goes between someone’s notes about what happened to Emily all those years ago and the present day. The notes give rich detail about the background of our group of friends, making several of the characters more sympathetic as we learn more about them.

Overall, this book is just plain fun to read. Suspenseful, gossipy, shocking, twisted, and wholly atmospheric. I love a good locked room mystery, and this variation where the characters are all stuck on an island and scared about someone else potentially being there with them was so compelling and entertaining. It managed to surprise me a time or two and gave me slasher movie vibes with the jump scares and high tension.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A locked room setting and a cast of suspicious people, most who are “friends”, makes this book exactly what I love about thrillers. I didn’t know who I was more skeptical of amongst this crew and the tension/fear was tangible. Totally satisfying thriller with a great ending, highly recommend this one!!

The Engagement Party
By: Darby Kane

4 Stars

From the very beginning, this book has been a crazy ride. The author presents the reader with a group of college friends, past and present secrets, and an engagement party like no other. You find drama, murder, and romance while also finding sacrifice, friendship, and redemption. All on an isolated island.

I was really impressed with the storytelling in this book. The storyline and the characters were realistic and fun to follow. I only wish it had a fewer main characters. It made it a bit crowded feeling, and at times, it could get confusing. Overall, while an issue for me, this didn't take away from the thrill of the overall story. I really did enjoy it.

I would be failing in my review if I didn't throw in that the ending was a BIG shock. One I never guessed or saw coming. I loved it.

I am definitely going to be looking more into this author.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

It took me a moment to get into this one, but once I did, I was hooked! And that final twist??!! I did NOT see that coming. The entire book was worth that one last twist, I was blindsided!

First off, this cover is fabulous! And I love a good locked room/remote location thriller!

Twelve years ago, on graduation weekend, Emily died, and her friend group has never been the same.

Will has them all assembling on a remote private island in Maine for his engagement party. And none of them are really happy to be there. There are too many secrets and things they don't discuss.

Not long after everyone makes their way to this island, they discover a dead body in the trunk of a car and realize there might be a killer on the island. Now come the doubts and questions. Who is it? Someone they know? One of them?

Soon all the secrets slowly start to be revealed. This was a great read and one I struggled to put down. A fascinating, not so likeable cast of characters and a mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Thiller Book Lovers Engagement for an ARC of this gem in exchange for my honest review!

This is pitched as I Know What You Did Last Summer meets And Then There Were None which sounded interesting but WOW was it bad. Dumb plot, characters with motivations that made no sense and it was way too long. Sorry to be a hater but here I am.

Thank you the publisher for a free Netgalley.

I love a good locked door, secluded location suspense book. Though I feel a twist or two could be guessed, this one was an absolute page turner. And to be honest there are so many twists, you're definitely not guessing them all. Kane wrote a solid book with this one. I loved the plot and the characters were the perfect mixture of likable and unlikable, which is necessary to me in a thriller.

Definitely recommend this upcoming thriller that releases in December!

My heart was racing out of my chest! I was on the edge of my seat and could not devour it fast enough. I am a major fan of locked room/isolated island murder mystery and this one was amazing.

Every thriller fan needs to have this on their TBR! If you are fans of The Glass Onion, One of the Girls, and The Only Survivors, you are going to love this book!

****Many thanks to @thrillerbookloverspromotions, @williammarrowbooks, Darby Lane, and NetGalley for my gifted copy in turn for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounding up to 5 stars on Goodreads.

My review will be posted on Instagram (@thriller_book_sisters) on 12/1/23.

Twelve years ago after her college graduation, Emily went missing and no one noticed until the next afternoon, but someone knew what happened. Fast forward to present day…when an invitation arrives for an engagement party weekend, there are those that have no desire to attend, they are trying to forget about their past and spending the weekend together is not a good idea, especially with all the secrets they have kept over the years. Arriving at the remote island location, they soon find out that they have no cell service and are cut off until the storm passes and it’s low tide. One night should not be too much of a problem, right? Wrong! When a body is found with connections to their college days and Emily, they are all spooked, and as the hours progress, they no longer know who they can trust. As the body count rises, it’s each man/woman for themselves until someone finally tells the truth about that fateful weekend twelve years ago. This locked room mystery premise has been done before, numerous times. There were some different aspects, but not enough to make this one unique. An OK read, but nothing to write home about.Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.