For the first time in over ten years, a group of friends reunites for an engagement party. Why the long gap? Well because during college one of the friends in their group was killed, and there has always been some questions about what really happened that night. Now, back together again, the friends are terrified when they find a dead body in a trunk. They want to leave the engagement party, but of course, it is on an island, in a storm, and they can't.

A lot of author's have been telling this, "And Then There Were None," type story lately, and I would be lying if I did not say I am getting bored with it. Is this book interesting? Yes. Is it face paced? Yes. I think it would be enjoyed by those that don't read as many thrillers as I do, but I am growing tired of this concept and need a break from it. Because of that, I give it 3 of 5 stars, but will stress if you haven't read other stories like this one you will most likely enjoy this book

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a serviceable thriller that people who enjoy true crime, gossip, and unsolved mysteries would enjoy. There are a couple plot holes, but I won’t enumerate them in case they get fixed with the final round of editing. I would pick up this author again.

Thank you for the ARC Netgalley and William Morrow Books! I liked the concept of this book a lot. It’s dark and mysterious and full of twists and turns. I will say I didn’t feel any connection to any character so I did find myself a bit bored and uninterested at times. I liked it, but not a super compulsive thriller for me.

4⭐️

I have heard amazing things about Darby Kanes writing and this did not disappoint! The Engagement Party follows a group of friends who come to together to celebrate an engagement on an isolated private island. The secrets and continue to build up as the tragedy that occurred on their graduation weekend comes back to haunt them.

This book is so fast paced and the multiple povs and writing style make it very easy to read. You didn’t know who to trust and everyone had their own secrets that they were ere desperate to keep the other from knowing. There was a lot of twists and it kept my heart pounding and I did not expect the ending! I am so exited to read more of Darby’s work!

Thank you to @netgalley, @hkdimon and @williammorrowbooks for the opportunity to read this early and all opinions are my own. The Engagement Party is releasing December 5th

A get-together amongst old college friends to celebrate a new engagement that quickly turns into a bloodbath. No one wanted to attend what would be yet another failed engagement of Will’s, but his fiance Ruthie went through all the trouble to invite them. Once there, it doesn’t take long for everyone to realize they’ve been brought into a deadly game of Truth or Dare where if you lie, you die.

All the killer wants to know is who killed Emily. And until one of them confesses, the bloodshed will continue. But the pact they all made years ago to never speak of it still holds stronger than ever. Even with their friends being picked off one by one, the group refuses to give the truth up, proving some secrets really are worth dying for.
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This was a pretty good read. I love dubious pacts and unhinged revenge plots. I thought the engagement party was a great way to get everyone together as well as slowly reveal little glimpses of their collective past, but it was a bit slow for me at first. I felt there was a bit too much time spent on setting the stage, and I wasn’t too keen on the “book notes” chapters. I did like how unpredictable the plot became halfway-through and that’s when I really began enjoying it. Great twist as well. I’d definitely recommend this one.

Wow! My first Darby Kane book but for sure not my last! This was such a great read. Action packed with so much tension it was crazy. So many great twists and turns that I had no clue who to trust in this one. Fabulous characters that kept me reading way past my bedtime.
Thank you NetGalley, Darby Kane and William Morrow/Custom House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Review of The Engagement Party by Darby Kane

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the copy of this one. I am sad to say that I was a little bit disappointed by this book. I have high expectations as I love this author’s work. I just felt underwhelmed and a little bored at times with this one. If I still did star ratings, it would still be at three and I had no problem finishing it. I love the setting of a remote island, and I loved the idea of college friends meeting for a reunion, and then discovering a killer was present among them. But the characters overall fell flat for me except one of the main character Sierra, and the overall story plot felt thin at times to me.

Synopsis:

Emily Hunt went missing from her affluent liberal arts school on graduation weekend. Her body was found floating in a river, and a quiet loner who most people on campus really didn’t know committed suicide. A tenuous link—one text—bound the two dead students together and was enough for law enforcement to close the case. But they got it wrong and now someone is determined to set it right.
Twelve years later, college friends gather to celebrate an engagement over a long overdue getaway on a swanky private island in Maine—with only one way in and one way out. Sierra Prescott, invited as a guest and unconnected to past events, is the only person who soon senses not all is what it seems.
The tension in the air is ignited when they find a dead man in the trunk of a car with a note: time to tell the truth. And things only get worse. As a torrential storm strands them together, the group’s buried stories begin to surface and secrets are bartered. To survive this deadly party, they’ll need to stop a killer before they become prey

The Engagement Party was so good! The twists and turns kept me engrossed in this book all night! Emily Hunt was killed on her college graduation night. 12 years later her friends come together to celebrate an engagement. But things are tricky, because someone is hiding secrets.

Honestly, I didn't know which way this story was going. Each character was presumed guilty of something. The story is told from different character POVs and it helps you to understand all angles of the story.

I loved the way the author made you feel like you were right there in the story. The ending was unexpected but satisfying.

Definitely check this book out if you are a fan of twisty, multiple pov thrills! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for my arc.

I really liked this book and love Darby Kane as an author! A few things that knocked this down from 5 to 4 stars for me -
I wish there was more character development for the 2 couples. Every chapter I had to tell myself who was who and it would get confusing.
I did not like each chapter being a ‘narrative’ from Alex, Sierra and Ruthie. I felt it was weird to just pick those 3 characters and which it was just all combined. The narrative chapters didn’t change anything when it came to perspective (from my side)
There was a few grammar errors and even a chapter where Alex is called Alec… whoops.

Overall I’m lido suggest to friends, good twists and a great story overall!

The Engagement Party is a "locked room mystery" that takes place on an isolated island in Maine. A group of college friends gather to celebrate Will's engagement with Ruthie. Sierra is new to the group and only attends to support Mitch. She soon finds not only do these friends share dark secrets but also they are all lying to each other. In addition to all the lies and betrayals, someone else is on the island - someone who wants the group to pay for a past death.

I did not overly enjoy this book. The start was exciting and I read the first quarter of the book quite quickly. However, it then began to drag. The story is told through multiple POVs; however, none of them were engaging. I honestly didn't like any of the characters (maybe Mitch). The "unknown" person on the island did not add to the story; rather, that character just made the plot confusing. Ruthie was another character that was more confusing than anything and didn't really add to the story. The end was very predictable, which made the latter half of the book drag even more. Finally, the whole explanation of what happened in the past did not make sense. It was an unsatisfying ending. I really had hoped to like this book based on the premise; however, it just wasn't for me.

The only thing better than a locked room mystery is a locked island mystery. Add in a terrible storm, power outages, and a twenty-year-old murder, and you have a perfect thriller. Three couples are staying together on an island to celebrate an engagement. Will is engaged to Ruthie, and has invited his college friends Alex, Cassie, and Mitch. Alex and Cassie are married, and Mitch brought his longtime work partner Sierra. While the group tries to focus on celebrating the newly engaged couple, it seems someone has other plans. The college friends are forced to reckon with the murder of their friend Emily Hunt, who died the night before graduation, as someone begins to torment the group for more information.
I flew through this book. All locked-room mysteries follow the same basic formula, and this is no exception. The added twist from the beginning is Emily’s murder. The characters were hurrying to figure out who was pulling the strings on their weekend while I was hurrying to figure out how Emily died. The dual suspense kept me completely on my toes, and made the story fly by even quicker. The three main POVs come from Sierra, Ruthie, and Alex. Sierra and Ruthie are complete outsiders, and lean on each other as a voice of reason. Alex is married to Cassie, and is part of the original gang of college friends.
One con was that with a group of six characters, most of them ended up feeling a little flat and one-dimensional. The other, bigger, con was that the ending didn’t feel as neat and tidy as it seemed. Yes, I got an answer for all the main questions. But it felt like there wasn’t enough of a bridge between everything the characters lied about and what the truth actually was.
As a whole, this story was a fun and easy read. It checks all the boxes of a classic locked-room mystery without being too on the nose, and weaves the murder mystery into the story in an intriguing way. For a more detailed review, check out my blog! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While this novel does a good job of ratcheting up the suspense, it does very little in the way of making you invested in the characters. None of them are fleshed out enough to care about. While I love a good riff on And Then There Were None, this missed the mark for me.

Darby Kane is an automatic read author for me and her latest novel is the perfect example of why! The Engagement Party is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!! This addictive read centers around a group of college friends that gather on a remote private island to celebrate an engagement. Upon arrival find a dead man…with a note!!!! Well, that, of course breeds suspicion, and ultimately unearths past secrets! From this point, I found this novel completely unputdownable! The pacing is lightening fast and I promise this who-done-it will live rent-free in your mind until you finish! Darby Kane is a master at creating thrillers that are consuming and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT! The Engagement Party is a 5 star novel that will satisfied all mystery/thriller and even slasher fans! As per usual, I am already looking forward to Darby’s next novel!

The Engagement Party" by Darby Kane is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that follows a group of six people gathered on a private island to celebrate an engagement. The tension escalates when they discover a dead body in a car trunk with a chilling note, setting off a series of events that reveal buried secrets and put their lives in danger.

Kane skillfully weaves a tale of mystery and deception, reminiscent of classics like "And Then There Were None" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." The plot keeps readers on the edge of their seats with each chapter unveiling new twists and turns, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. The island setting, though familiar, is still shrouded in suspense and adds to the sense of isolation and paranoia.

The characters' interconnected pasts and the web of lies they've woven create a compelling atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty. As the story unfolds, the reader becomes immersed in the complexities of the characters' relationships and motivations, trying to piece together the truth behind the murders.

Kane's writing effectively captures the fear and desperation of the characters as they face a killer among them, trapped by both the storm and their own secrets. The addition of the "book notes" chapters adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, creating an engaging and satisfying reading experience.

Overall, "The Engagement Party" delivers exactly what one would expect from a suspenseful thriller—a rollercoaster of emotions, unexpected revelations, and a sense of unease that lingers long after the final page. It's a must-read for fans of the genre, and Darby Kane proves once again her skill in crafting a captivating and thrilling story.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

An engagement party is supposed to be a happy reunion between old and new friends. Yet, this party might not leave any survivors. These college friends have a secret from the past that is threatened to be exposed. Someone wants answers about the death of Emily Hunt and won’t stop until someone speaks up. This was intended to be a small celebration on a private island, except a storm is coming and no one will be able to hear their screams.

I enjoy a good thriller and Darby Kane always delivers. Nothing good can come from a party located on a secluded island In Maine. Plus, the reader is introduced to a variety of characters that will keep you guessing if they are trust worthy or not. Once I got into the story, I had to keep reading. Some of the mystery was a bit predictable, but I loved the writing and the chapters that gave a backstory on who Emily Hunt was.

If you love thrillers and mysteries that have I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, you should add this novel to your TBR!

I have loved all Darby Kane books, but this one did not do it for me. The pace was great but the narrative was one I read many times before and there was no special twist or turn to make it more exciting. Overall it was an okay read but I found myself skimming hard, 3⭐️

A huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this title via NetGalley.

I enjoyed this thriller with many twists and turns. I'm only giving it 4 stars because it was confusing keeping up with six characters. Each character has Secrets and back stories. Otherwise I enjoyed this book.

I thought this book was OK, but it was often repetitive and dragged a bit, especially towards the end. The story is a locked-room type mystery, where a group of friends is invited to a secluded island for an engagement party for one of their group to a newcomer. All of these people were friends with Emily, who died 12 years ago under mysterious circumstances, and it soon becomes obvious that someone is trying to avenge her death and that multiple people know more than they are letting on.

There was a lot of gruesome killing in this book, which was fun- it had a bit of a 1980's slasher vibe. However, with so many unreliable (and frankly, unlikable) characters, it started getting confusing around what secrets they were all keeping and who is hiding what from everyone else. When the villain was revealed, I couldn't help but think that they went to way too much trouble to get what they wanted. I also felt like the end of the book dragged, when you knew who the villain was but then there was more action and I was just ready for it to be over.

Overall, kind of a fun read but wasn't as engaging as expected I am clearly in the minority when I see the other ratings though, so you may want to give it a shot. To be honest, I found the other books by this author gave me a similar vibe, with unrealistic decision-making and parts that dragged, so perhaps she just isn't the author for me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's a great thriller with so many twists! I highly enjoyed this book and could not put it down! I would recommend it for both teens and adults and will be putting it on my book club's list.

Will is engaged to Ruthie. They plan this engagement party on an island, and invite Will’s closest friends, what could possibly go wrong?
A group of 6 people are on the island. Will who is engaged to Ruth, Cassie and Alex who are married lawyers with a daughter, and Mitch with his friend Sierra. Almost immediately after arriving on the island things start happening and dead bodies start to pile up. No one is safe.
This book was packed with all the suspense. Every chapter left me wanting more. I needed to know what happened and why. Who was behind it all? Who can I trust. This is what I expect from a Darby Kane novel.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review. The group island setting has been done a lot and I liked that this book still kept me guessing. I also liked the “book notes” chapters. It was an interesting addition to the book and when it was explained why those chapters were in there I enjoyed that.