This is a tough one to review. In the beginning I loved the set-up; a secluded island, an incoming storm, a dead body and a horrific past. This had all the ingredients to make a fantastic mystery/thriller. However, about halfway through I started losing interest. There wasn't enough backstory with anyone to really create any kind of emotional connection to them or to the story itself. The last quarter of this was one of those cliched moments where the killer seems to have so much patience and explains every last detail. Yes, this is a story and we do need explanations but I didn't feel this was done the best way. It was a little too drawn out for me and one of the end reveals didn't make a lot of sense to me as to the reasoning of their crimes. Overall, this is an average Three Stars for me.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

Book: The Engagement Party
Author: Darby Kane
Publisher: William Morrow
Pub Date: December 5, 2023

I really enjoy Darby Kane books. I’ve read Pretty Little Wife and The Replacement Wife and liked them both. But this book was another one that has way too many characters. I just have a hard time keeping up with a dozen story lines but the plot on this one kept me hooked. I’m not sure I ever kept Alex and Will straight but I worked it out. What I did enjoy was how no one seemed to be fooling anyone. I like that everyone suspects the others for what they are really up to! Obviously there are some twists but no one seems to be fooled in the book. That was refreshing. I loved Sierra and hated Cassie. Despite there being too many characters there was nice character development to the point you felt strong emotions toward each one. What I didn’t enjoy was the ending. Like what? I wish it had went in a different direction and it came out of no where. And I’m not trying to give a spoiler but if I’m ever on a deserted island and there are 6 to 1 I’m not letting the “killer” make me zip tie my hands together. I’ll take my chances.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is December 5, 2023.

Another read left me in limbo: should I like this book or should I hate the guts of each character and wish them painful deaths? I went back and forth between three and four stars during my reading journey. I simply weighed the pros and cons to decide on my verdict.

Here are the pros:

Despite the mixed feelings I had throughout my reading journey, I must commend the book for its captivating and promising premise. The blend of a locked room mystery and elements of suspense from "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (or rather, "I Know What You Did 20 Years Ago") created an enticing storyline that initially captured my attention. I appreciate the author's ambition in attempting to deliver a suspenseful and thrilling narrative.

Moreover, having read Darby Kent's previous book, I was already acquainted with her writing style and found it enjoyable. Her ability to weave words together in a captivating manner motivated me to explore her latest work. I appreciate authors who can maintain consistency in their writing, and Kent certainly possesses that talent.

The book's strengths lie in its riveting whodunnit concept, which successfully builds escalating pressure and maintains a heart-throbbing pace. The twisty and smart ending, when executed well, adds an extra layer of satisfaction for readers invested in solving the mystery. I commend the author for delivering on these aspects and providing a gratifying conclusion.

Here are the cons:

However, there are certain drawbacks that hindered my overall enjoyment of the book. One significant issue was the presence of numerous unlikeable characters. I found it difficult to muster enough interest to care about their individual fates, except for Sierra, who is a colleague of Mitch. Sierra's attendance at the engagement party, despite never having met Mitch's irritating friends before, struck me as puzzling. I felt compelled to shake some sense into her and warn her about wasting her time with someone like Mitch. His enigmatic nature, combined with the absence of his own narration, left us with little insight into his true character. Is he a secret psychopath with a cursed genetic inheritance from his family, or is he simply a creepy and brooding individual? The lack of information made it challenging to form a solid opinion. I understand Sierra's savior complex and her protective instincts, given her own family situation, but I did not find Mitch particularly appealing thus far.

Additionally, the other narrations, such as Ruthie's perspective on her whirlwind romance with Will, and Alex's account of his marriage to the manipulative Cassie, lacked depth. The characters felt one-dimensional, lacking the necessary development to elicit empathy or understanding. Will's robotic demeanor and the absence of emotional reactions from him made it difficult to comprehend his motivations. Similarly, Cassie's portrayal as a B-list movie villainess lacked nuance, reducing her character to a stereotypical archetype. I found it challenging to fully connect with these characters due to the limited insights provided.

Furthermore, the pacing in the second half of the book became a stumbling block to my reading experience. While the opening was gripping and effectively set the stage, with the characters introduced amidst a claustrophobic and isolated environment, the momentum faltered as the story progressed. Repetitive moments and a dragging pace diminished the suspense and created moments of frustration. I found myself yearning for a tighter narrative and wished for a reduction in the book's length by 20-30 pages to maintain a more engaging and heart-throbbing mystery.

In the end, I have decided to give the book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for its intriguing and promising Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit mystery concept and well-executed wrap-up.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to NetGalley and William Morrow / William Morrow Paperbacks for generously sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to engage with and review books in advance, and I am thankful for their support in fostering an environment where readers can share their opinions.

Darby Kane is one of my go-to authors on psychological thriller/domestic suspense and it's for a great reason. Love her books!

My love for locked-room and stranded somewhere with only one way in and one way out thriller books got so much higher since I read this arc by Darby Kane.
Darby Kane did not fail at this book with alternating perspectives and twist after twist this read grips you in from the very first page to the last.
After Emily hunt is murdered 12 years ago, college friends get to together to celebrate a engagement party on a private island in Maine to what they thought was a simple get away turned into something more devious when they found a dead man in a trunk with a note that says “time to tell the truth” secrets can only be buried for so long till it rises to the surface, when I say this book is a thriller lovers dream I mean it

A group of college friends gather together on an island for an engagement party. What should be a happy occasion very quickly turns dark when reminders of their shared past, the death of their friend on graduation day, are used to toy with them.

***

*2.5 stars rounded up!*

I went into this sure that I would love it. Dark pasts. Secrets. Glamourous friends.

Unfortunately, it fell flat for me narratively. We jump into the mystery so quickly, without really getting any investment or insight into the characters. Jake, nothing about him or from him. Will, definitely not enough there. We focus really heavily on Sierra, who doesn't even have a dog in the fight per se. While the outsider perspective is needed, the emphasis was too much. I did appreciate all of the "book notes" so we could get some insight into Emily and how it was woven into the story.

I also just didn't really enjoy the constant bickering or telling of stories that clearly aren't true. It really confused the actual story and/or caused a lot of the same things to be said over and over again.

Finally, once the intensity ramped up, the characters were all doing a lot of things that just didn't make sense, and ultimately their motives didn't allign at the end either.

That being said, the twists did save this book at bit. While the ultimate "villain" of Emily's story didn't really make sense, there were plenty of well-earned twists and a lot of what I *thought* I knew ended up being turned on its head very quickly.

Some loose threads and stray spoiler thoughts:

<spoiler>
*So Cassie definitely killed Emily right? Was Will even involved? Because then why would Will want to go scare Brendan into confessing?
*Nothing about Cassie really makes sense. Why kill Emily and/or help Will cover it up. There was nothing Emily really could have done to ruin her if the story about Will was true. Her perfect life could have easily happened with or without Alex too. And what was with the whole Cassie encouraged Emily to go after Alex mentioned at the beginning? So does she love Alex or not? Girl would have been best peacing out of that situation and leaving them all behind. I'm just not sold on the motives here.
*I hate that they ultimately made Mitch kill someone. The whole idea was that he wasn't a killer, he really was a good guy. Real Dylan should have killed fake Dylan.
*Only person I really felt bad for was Alex. RIP.
</spoiler>

12 years ago at their college graduation party Emily goes missing and is found dead shortly after. Were her friends involved, do they know what happened to Emily or…

This is a great novel about college friends that meet up 12 years after graduation for an engagement party weekend. The location is a private island in Maine where they can park and take golf carts over to the island before the high tide.

The twists and turns never stop even going until the very end. A must read for mystery, thriller, suspense lovers.

Cliff notes review: an overly convoluted “I know what you did last summer” with a twist too many.

While this was certainly fast paced, aided by short chapters and alternating perspectives, it was too twisty for its own good. I sped through it, but at a certain point it got so over the top that I kind of stopped caring about the direction it was going. And after all the twists, the ending seemed rushed and incomplete.

Still giving it 3 stars for readability but the body count and twist count was too much for me!

Darby Kane's latest offering is a deliciously vicious tale of friendship gone awry. The secrets in this group have threatened to tear them apart for a long time now, and justice is finally coming. The question is: at whose hand? A thoroughly engrossing thriller. Readers won't want to miss this one!

I have enjoyed Kane's previous novels and absolutely love the locked-room thriller trope, but sadly I did not love this one. The suspense and my desire to know the truth were the only reasons that prompted me to continue reading until the end. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, and it was very hard to follow the story at times. The writing felt too over complicated and verging on literary. Each chapter is written in the POV of one of the characters, but so many of them talked at once with blended dialogues that it had me forgetting who the person was narrating in the first place. Confusing! I enjoyed the reveal at the end, but it was somewhat anticlimactic. I have seen some five-star reviews, so maybe it's just me. I would still recommend reading this book in order to form your own opinion. To each his own, I guess.

Thank you to the author, William Morrow, and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest opinion!

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane.

I honestly thought that I had read books by the best authors out there but now I can add Darby Kane to my list of the best of the best. I love psychological thrillers and this one does not disappoint. It has everything that makes a thriller a thriller. Private Island, college friends, and a storm of a lifetime. Then the coupe de grace…..a dead man in a trunk with a note to tell the truth. What is the truth? Someone knows more than they want to let on and it may be all of them. You will definitely dislike the characters but that gives character to the book. I am honestly not even sure if I can say anything that will do justice to this book. It is indescribable how it sucks you in and takes you on a ride that will have your head spinning with the murders, mysteries and revenge. There is no way to predict any part of it. The ending, oh the ending…… explosive as hell. But don’t take my word for it. You need to read this book. Darby Kane………I love you! You absolutely ROCK!


5+++++ stars out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Wow, this was just great! Started at 60 mph and just accelerated from there. Twist after twist after twist. I read it almost non-stop in one day.

Darby Kane does it again! This time inspired by a locked room (in this case locked island) mystery. College Friends coming together for an engagement party but they share an experience of the murder of their close friend at graduation. You won't have this one figured out, and even when it's clear, the last chapter is a big surprise.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

A new Agatha Christie/ locked room inspired story. I honestly could read them forever.

Kane has created a perfect gothic atmosphere on an island with a flooded causeway, a blinding storm and no phone or email access. On this island some strangers and some old college friends have gathered to celebrate upcoming nuptials. Stories about a friend who died during college come up as well as the resulting collateral damage. Join the party as they start to realize that everyone has secrets to and there truly is nowhere to hide.
If you like a locked room, a gothic atmosphere or are just looking for a creepy twisty thriller, The Engagement Party is for you! #WilliamMorro #TheEngagementParty #DarbyKane

I just want to start off by saying Darby Kane is life.

Booksta has introduced me to some incredible people but this chick right here is a cherry pie

This book is a bloodbath . This was by far the most gruesome of all her books, and let me tell you, I have loved and read them all multiple times

The storyline is just explosive. I thought I had it all figured out 50 percent in but In true Kane fashion she threw me for a curve .

These characters all need to be spanked . I’m not going to sugar cost it : I hated them all but that’s how amazing Kane is, you feel every emotion she wants you to feel.

The passion is indescribable .

If I could make out with a book, it would be this one . This is every slasher fans wet dream . Darby Kane is literary the best thing that happened to the bookie community . Don’t believe me? Check out this teaser :

And Then There Were None meets I Know What You Did Last Summer in #1 international bestseller Darby Kane’s latest gripping and twisty thriller set on a private island in Maine where secrets piled upon secrets and lies upon lies are all revealed in one fateful weekend.

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 love locked-door thrillers and, as a fan of Darby Kane's previous books, I was so excited to read The Engagement Party. Sadly, I struggled to care about any of the characters. The way the plot unfolded felt jumpy and a little forced, which didn't help my lack of engagement. While I did enjoy the background on Emily, it wasn't enough to keep me reading until the end.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, revenge, A great who done it, and some really crazy twists and turns that i did not see coming! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!