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Whew! I loved this one! I love everything this author writes. It’s a very tense locked room mystery that is packed full of action. A group of friends shared a secret back in college. Now, they are invited to one of their friend’s engagement party. Not long after arrival, they begin to realize they are in trouble! Do NOT miss this one!!

𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒏.

A locked room mystery hailed as written in the style of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, so I thought I was in for a domestic suspense experience with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the slasher vibes!

Four college friends reconnect years after college for an engagement party at a remote island with only one way in and one way out. While in college, their friend and classmate Emily Hunt went missing on graduation weekend. When her body was found in the river and a quiet loner died by suicide soon after, police thought they had established a link between the two and closed the case.

One person is invited who was not a part of the group, and she is the only one who senses something is off. Sure enough, when a body is found in a trunk with a note that says 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, the tension amps up to unbelievable levels. Someone on the island is keeping secrets, and they will go to any lengths to keep them.

Thank you to the publisher and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for my early read. This book publishes December 5,2023.

Thank you Netgalley & William Morrow for an eARC of The Engagement Party by Darby Kane. Pretty Little Wife is one of my favorite books of all time, so I'm always thrilled when she releases a new book!

This thriller is set on a private island in Maine where friends are gathering for an engagement party. Many of them haven't spoken much since the tragic death of their friend Emily, in college, whose body was found floating in a river on graduation weekend. The only person unrelated to the group, Sierra, who was invited as a guest, immediately feels that things are amiss...and she is not wrong.

I really enjoy alternating chapters that reveal pieces of the past vs. what's unraveling currently. The unknown "book" aspect that dives into the past of Emily 12 years earlier really pushes the plot along. That being said, this was an OK read for me, I liked it but wasn't in love. I was satisfied with the ending but did find some parts of the plot far-fetched and had to use my imagination a bit!

I’ve read and loved Darby Kane’s previous books; this one was fine. In this novel, a group of college friends get together to celebrate their friend’s engagement in a remote cabin. The engagement party weekend doesn’t go as planned when they find a dead body, and the secrets of a death during their college years start resurfacing.

I loved how fast-paced this novel was, but I found it a little predictable. The “reveals” didn’t feel like big twists. I’m looking forward to the next Darby Kane novel!

The Engagement Party
By Darby Kane
Pub Date December 5, 2023
Avon
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion..
I had trouble finalizing my recommendation. There are things I liked about this book- enticing storyline, authors writing style, twisty smart ending. This is what I didn’t like- characters were unlikeable, lack of depth in other narratives, one dimensional characters, pacing was dragging.
This book was not a good fit for me, although other readers who enjoy gothic mysteries might enjoy it.
3 stars

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

A group of college friends get together on a private island in Main to celebrate an engagement.

After they arrive they discover a dead body in the trunk of one of the cars. Is one of them killer or is there someone else on the island?

This book reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel and it will keep you going until the very end.

I highly recommend this book.

I couldn't pass up this title when I saw it on Netgalley--I read it just two weeks before my own engagement party, which I thought was fitting in a funny way. Hopefully no one dies at mine! I enjoy the "college friends with a big secret" trope. The Engagement Party is your standard "cut off on an island, bad weather looming, a hidden dead body, phones useless, no way to call for help" novel, but its own admission towards the beginning of the story.

I was hooked and it was very easy to read, but the connections were all pretty convoluted.

A few things were weird to me about this book, which I'll note since it's so far before pub day. First, there was no getting-to-know-the-characters scene at the beginning of the engagement party. Bad things started happening pretty much as soon as the group got to the island. We didn't need much, but a celebratory scene to get to know the characters would have made some sense. Second, I felt like the bit about Mitch's childhood was very abruptly thrown in there and then glossed over. No spoilers, but it was a pretty shocking reveal and didn't seem to get the time it deserved.

Overall I was interested enough to read the book very quickly, but didn't love it or feel like it really stands out in any way. I've got a few more thoughts tucked into the spoiler recap on my blog as well.

This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read recently. It is filled with ugly secrets, an unknown killer, treacherous weather and a stranger in the midst.

The story is told in multiple short chapters, each from a different point of view. Five college friends travel to an island to celebrate the engagement of one of their friends. Nobody has met the fiancée and all are surprised that Will, the friend, is engaged after such a short courtship. From the very beginning, things don’t seem quite right. Who is Ruthie, the fiancée? And who is the dead man in the garage?

This is a must read for anyone who loves a great locked-room thriller. It has the rising suspense level and the whodunnit factor. I rate this book four stars and highly recommend it. Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. This is due to be published on December 5, 2023.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The description definitely made me want to read it and it started off with a bang and drew me in, however the middle dragged and there was reveal after twist after murder, etc. and it started to get ridiculous. This is a stranded on an island suspense/horror story and it’s all over the place.

There are several narrators and we know superficially about each of them. Basically, a young woman name Emily was murdered in college. Her close circle of friends are now reuniting for an engagement party in a remote island as one of the crew is getting married. Ruthie has extended an invite to the friends of her fiancée Will. These are the friends of Emily. Alex and Cassie are married. Mitch is part of the group and he brings along his friend Sierra (not really sure why they just weren’t together as it would have made more sense for why she was there). They all reluctantly come to this party on this remote island even though they admittedly have not been the best at keeping in touch.

As soon as they arrive, they realize how isolated they. The reader knows that Ruthie has ulterior motives but it takes forever for those to come to light and for any of the gang to suspect anything. Then random dead bodies start showing up and they realize that they are in danger and it’s all related to Emily’s death in college.

There was just too too much going on and there were still plot twists up until the very end. The characters are all superficially developed and very unlikeable so it was hard to care about them or what happened to them. Kane creates a good atmosphere and tension but this was just okay for me.

Three stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Darby Kane and William Morrow for a digital ARC of The Engagement Party in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own (except for any quotations) and may not be reproduced.

“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.”

I’m a Darby Kane fan, so I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to provide an early review of her new thriller!

This reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”

I wasn’t a huge fan of really any of the characters, but I’m pretty sure, that’s kind of the point.

The pacing was great – it was a quick easy read. I did feel that it was a bit repetitive in some areas, but overall, I am giving it 4 stars. I do like some over her previous work better, but this was a solid read!

I absolutely loved this locked room thriller!

These college friends haven’t seen each other sense graduation weekend & they aren’t to thrilled about this weekend get together in fear of old secrets coming to light. But that’s exactly what the hostess is hoping will happen. However her plan isn’t the only one causing disruption on this weekend trip. Who is truly the victim here and who’s the sinister mastermind behind the murders?

Loved how I couldn’t fully guess who was the bad guy in this thriller and there was sooo many turns it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Obsessed with Darby kane qnd this book was so so good! Loved the plot and characters, highly recommend for a good summer thriller read! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Emily was murdered on the weekend of her college graduation. The police closed the case, but not everyone believed the police got it right.

12 years later, an invitation arrives in the mail. Emily’s friends are summoned to celebrate an engagement party on a private island in Maine. However, everything is not what it seems and the guests quickly realize that someone is out for revenge. No one is safe, and everyone is stuck…

Read this if you like:
* Locked Room Thrillers
* Multiple POVs
* I Know What You Did Last Summer
* Agatha Christie
* Atmospheric Settings
* Short chapters

I sped through this one in two days. I loved the short chapters, the twists, and the atmospheric setting. The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, “I really hope this gets made into a mini-series” because it was so well paced and the setting was sooo creepy, in the best way!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC opportunities.

I really wanted to like this book, but I struggled to remain interested. There were several characters, and it was difficult to tell them apart. It was a slow burn start, picked up in the middle and grabbed my interest, but then fizzled out in the end.

I didn’t feel satisfied with the ending, and feel the book could have been much shorter, maybe 100 pages shorter, to get to the point, keep up speed and keep interest. I will try more books by this author because I feel this story line had potential, unfortunately it didn’t grab me and I had to really work to finish it, because I did want to know who “did it” at the end.

Pros: surprise in the middle, plot picks up
Cons: too many confusing characters, slow build, not satisfied with the ending

First off I want to thank the publishers for gifting me with an early copy of The Engagement Party. I want to note this isn't my first Darby Kane novel, and despite my review, it will not be my last.

Although I didn't LOVE this one, it still had me captivated. I found the story to be a bit confusing a times, with trying to pin point and remember all the characters and their backstories. Speaking of characters, I really didn't like any of them - apart from Sierra. I literally despised everything about Cassie - she was the absolute worst and every time there was dialogue with her I just wanted to skip past it. I didn't feel a connection with anyone really from the main character group, which is why I might have not loved/ connected with this story. I did enjoy the "whodunit" aspect, but the ending seemed to drag on a little and then all of a sudden had an over-the-top completely random twist. It seemed a bit unrealistic for me.

Overall, I do enjoy Kane's writing style so I will certainly give her future books another try. If you enjoy a twisty, murder-y, remote location whodunit - I would recommend this book , but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

This book was engaging and I enjoyed it, but I found it pretty predictable overall. Maybe I have just read too many thrillers.

Masterful storytelling creates an atmosphere of suspense and tension, with twists and turns that leave you guessing until the very end. The well-developed characters are complex and intriguing, adding depth to the thrilling plot. The pacing is relentless, never giving you a moment to catch your breath, making this book an exhilarating and addictive reading experience for all fans of the genre.

Entertaining plot with a number of good and villainous characters. The plot twists actually were surprising, although it did sag a bit in the middle. The ending more than made up for any slowness, with a truly gripping last third.

“Time to tell the truth”

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane was just the thriller I needed to get me out of this slump I’ve been in.
Kane has crafted a fast paced story with alternating POVs.
I loved how she did the different POVs of Sierra, Ruthie and Alex. The three characters telling their side of the story was intriguing and kept me turning those short chapters as quickly as I could. I liked that it allowed me to get everyone’s viewpoints.
With complex characters (some likable and others not so much), all the suspense and an incredibly faced paced plot, this was a quick read that kept me guessing with each chapter.
The writing is excellent and the short chapters made it fly by in no time.

“Tick Tock”

As these old college friends come to a secluded island in honor of their old friend and his engagement things take a very deadly turn and fast!
I loved how quickly things started to go downhill once they arrived on the island.
Kane didn’t hold any punches and it was one thing right after another.
Overall, a gripping, suspenseful and very entertaining read!
I couldn’t stop once I started.

My favorite character: Sierra
What I enjoyed most: the pacing
Disliked: the ending….. I wished their was a bit more detail

Still I loved it and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have read it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was my first book from Darby Lane and I must say I really enjoyed it

Very mysterious, so much tension, twists, secrets, unlikable characters that will make you really dislike the story, but after half way, the story starts connecting and it’s nail bitting.
I really recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Coming out on 12/05/2023.