Oh I love a locked room murder mystery. This was absolutely nail bitting unputdownable gripping thriller. I loved this!
I just reviewed The Engagement Party by Darby Kane. #TheEngagementParty #NetGalley
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I've read and enjoyed several of Darby Kane's previous books so I was very excited for her upcoming release, The Engagement Party. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. It started off on a positive note, but pretty quickly I lost interest in the story line because it was so unbelievable. In addition, all of the characters are unlikable (which normally isn't an issue for me) and I wasn't able to form a connection with any of them.

I have read every book by Darby Kane, so I was super excited to read her latest - the engagement party. I loved how it was told from multiple viewpoints and you had to keep learning about the past to understand stand what was going on. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning and had my up late reading it. I highly recommend you check out this thriller.

A group of college friends meet up for the first time in twelve years in order to celebrate an engagement. Soon after they arrive on the secluded island, they find a dead body in the trunk of a car. A storm is coming in, and there is no way to cross back to the main land until the tide goes back down. To make matters worse, as the storm rages, they also lose power. We soon begin to learn that some people are hiding secrets, and they will soon be forced to explain everything.

This locked room mystery had some “And Then There Were None” elements from the famous Agatha Christie book. Fast paced and easy to read! I devoured this one in a single day. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

This one was a bit difficult to review. While I enjoyed the book and did want to see it through to the end, it didn’t meet my expectations. “Locked room” thrillers need to be done a certain way or else they become boring and repetitive in that closed setting. The twist didn’t have a shocking factor and there was not much character backstory besides the little bits sprinkled in here and there. I would say it’s a decent read but not one that I’m crazy about.

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane starts out well with a "closed room" style mystery with college reunited for an engagement party. Soon, a dead body shows up in the trunk of a car. What starts out as a rather classic mystery for me became one mired in too many characters, none of whom were terribly likeable. The emphasis on dialogue as opposed to scene setting and description made for a difficult read. Hard to get into the story and really couldn't relate to the characters and their seemingly shallow motivations. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

The Dedication is so touching and epigraph is thought provoking. Unexpected and unthinkable happens in this book. There are different characters and the book has been narrated from each of their POV.

After 12 years a group of friends gathers on a remote island for an engagement party but secrets from past are binding them and the prevailing mystery on island seems to have some connection with the Emily’s Murder that happened 12 years ago on a graduation weekend. While what’s most shocking is each of them is harbouring a secret of their own and when the secrets unveils, they buried truths also find their way out.

The more you will delve in the book, the more you will find yourself engulfed in secrets, murder mystery, suspicion, mystery of island and complex web of relationships. The truth is twisted and with unexpected twists, it will keep you guessing till the end.

You can expect the following:

•Atmospheric setting
•Killer on Loose
•Secrets from Past
•Buried Truth
•Vibes like When There Were None
•Brilliant Whodunnit
•Murder Mysteries
•Shocking Revelations
•Complex Relationships
•Suspense & slow-burn mystery
•Twists and Turns
•Alternating POV

Thank you Netgalley, Author and Publisher.

This wad confusing with way too many characters to keep track of and too many subplots that went nowhere or didn't forward the main plot. I didn't like the writing style.

This was my first book by Darby Kane and it definitely won't be my last! I really enjoyed reading this fast paced book. It had so many twists and turns that I wasn't expecting and I flew through this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

Unfortunately I am DNFing this. I am having much trouble staying interested. I usually love Darby Kane books, but I just found this one to be boring

Darby Kane has done it again! She always knows how to balance friendship with darkness and love with indifference. Kane hides so many little thoughts within her books and it keeps me guessing until the end. I really enjoy her books because they a quick one sitting read but the synopsis and characters stay with me long after.

I really had the most difficult time telling these characters apart. And then there kept being new characters added that I didn’t need or want. It was under 400 pages but it was about 100 pages too long. I don’t have many positive things to say about this one, so I’m just going to not say anything else. I wouldn’t recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC.

A group of friends travel to a private island for an engagement party, but the party takes a scary turn when secrets from the past and the first dead body shows up.

This book was fast-paced and easy to read! It's the perfect read for a rainy day. I enjoyed the short chapters and the way in which little bits of the mystery were slowly revealed. It was enough to get the reader intrigued and curious enough to keep reading. There was quite a bit of gore in this book compared to the author's other books, but I thought that perfectly captured the horror movie vibe that was intended. The twists and turns were great at the front end of the book, but by the end the twists became excessive and made the ending feel rushed.

Overall, I gave it 4 stars. It was a fun and spooky book worth reading. I'd love to read it again around Halloween!

This story? Absolute insanity. The bodies started showing up about 10% into the book, before we really got to know any of the characters…and then it became an epic game of cat and mouse. But who was the cat? Was there only one cat? How are all of the characters related/know each other? What will happen/who will be next? Especially when everyone seems super normal before getting to the island!

I love a good locked room thriller. The setting reminded me of Daisy Darker—this is also set on a deserted island that’s only accessible at low tide. Makes for a VERY dicey time until anyone can leave again. Unless there’s a storm…

Around 60% of the way through, I thought to myself “wow, this will probably wrap up soon,” since it seemed like the action had come to a head. Nope. There was still a whole lot of story to go! And I’m here for it.

What a wild ride. This is sure to be at the top of the lists when it releases…definitely read all the way through to the end! Especially the last couple of pages!!!

A huge thank you to Darby Kane for allowing me to read and review this beauty! She made my day with this one.

Agatha Christie fans rejoice! You're in for a treat. A darkly spun web, and a whodunnit you won't see coming. I absolutely devoured this book, and it was all I could think about when I wasn't reading. Multiple POVS, short chapters, a secluded island in the middle of no-where during high tide, and a killer on the loose. Yes, please! Well plotted, and executed with an ending I did NOT see coming. Clever, clever, clever! The Engagement Party isn't to be missed!

This one starts out with us learning about Emily's death on graduation night from college. A group of friends were all suspects but ultimately a loner was questioned and soon died-closing the case. However, that won't make a good story. The friends are meeting up on an island to celebrate the engagement of one of their friends and someone wants the truth.

Right away there are twists thrown our way. I was expecting more of a lead-up but it is like they get to the cabin and things begin right away! A random open garage (weird but ok) and a locked shed that isn't locked randomly. There isn't really a setup to get to know the characters but we learn about them along the way either through the different POVs in each chapter or in the "book notes" of a book someone is writing.

There are a few deaths and lots of secrets. Even towards the end, I wasn't sure what happened to certain characters because the different twists leave you constantly guessing! The ending is shocking and I didn't see that coming!

This was my second read by this author. The characters were interesting. It's rare that I read something where I can really see their different personalities and that really stuck out.

I can’t with this book. If you like those campy teen slasher movies, then you would probably like this. Except these are adults in their thirties. Eye roll. An invite to an en engagement party on a secluded island, & from the minute they step foot on it, bodies start showing up. All to get answers to why one of their friends died 12 years ago. It was so out there that I had trouble liking any of this. These people were so stupid. Their actions were stupid. The way things went during this time on the island were stupid. Clearly I didn’t like this book. Sometimes theses kind of books are entertaining & fun to read, but this one didn’t do it for me.

Before writing my review, I want to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley, Darby Kane, and William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks for gifting me the ARC of this book! I appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!! It was a privilege to be able to read THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY before publication on December 5th.

I love love love locked-room mysteries! So when I read the premise of this book and saw the comparisons made to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THEY WERE NONE, I knew I just had to get my hands on THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY! And I’m so glad I did!

This was my first book from Darby Kane and I really enjoyed it! The storyline was captivating and kept me reading well into the night. The escalating suspense propelled the book forward at lightening speed and kept the reader guessing until the very end. The characters, for the most part, were well developed, especially one of our main protagonists, Sierra. Her evolving relationship with Mitch was an intriguing part of the narrative. However, not all of the characters were likable— in fact, some were quite despicable. But each added something unique to the storyline and helped progress plot points.

The isolated setting with a raging storm as the backdrop added to the eeriness and mystery of the story. There was a claustrophobic feel emanating from the characters as it became clear there was something or someone keeping them from leaving the island. And just when you think you have all of the answers, think again! In this clever thriller by Darby Kane, nothing is as it first seems, long buried secrets define friendships, and reliable narrators are few and far between. What you are left with is a fun, twisty, suspenseful read, perfect for mystery lovers and night owls alike!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

Book Dynamics✨
Multiple POV
Book within a book-ish
Whodunnit

While I loved the concept and did enjoy how things wrapped up the journey was one I wouldn’t recommend. This book needed to be about 200 pages shorter.

I found myself not actually caring about the outcome because I was just trying to get to the end. I was skimming so much to get to the outcome that I got the gist of the book while simultaneously skimming full pages. Woof.

I have loved all of Darby’s books and she will continue to be an auto buy author for me but this one missed the mark

Overall: grab if you love a whodunnit isolated island popcorn thriller

Favorite Character: lol no