I have such mixed feelings about this book. I can't decide whether I liked it or hated it.

The first third of the book was slow going and i nearly put it aside but I persevered and kept going. If I had been reading a physical book rather than an audiobook I probably wouldn't have.

The middle third got slightly better but I loved the last third. So many plot twists and unexpected turns.

The narration of this audio was wonderful. Ranking irish accent was perfect for the characters and kept even the most longwinded parts interesting.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

A remote location is the perfect setting for this dark twisted story. A wedding is supposed to be a celebratory time for all who are there. Well, not so much in this story. Suspense, surprises, a cast of characters that run the gamut from good to WTH. It took me a bit to get into it. A few starts and stops as I was determined to finish. Took a bit, but glad I pushed through.

I’d go into this one cold and you’ll get a few more surprises. This is one wild ride when you get finished. If I read the synopsis, I usually forget by the time I start the book. Somehow I was surprised where this one was heading from the start. Trust is at the heart of this one and while there is a murder and some nefarious deeds, this is really more of a family drama than a thriller. For being in an isolated location without any outsiders, I was intrigued to figure who was the murderer and why they murdered. Which is good because I didn’t think a lot of any of the characters. I did love the setting. An atmospheric remote home in Ireland. It almost seemed the perfect place to off someone.

Trust is at the center of all of this. Lizzie is not long out of rehab and has had issues for a while. Liam is acting quite shady throughout the entire book. Claire’s husband disappeared never to be heard from again and she remarried without including her children. No one knows much about George, Claire’s new husband, or his daughter Freida. Who can you trust and can you fully trust them.

I must say I was disappointed since I was waiting for the party that doesn’t really happen, but of all the things I guessed, I was not quite right.

If slow burn family dramas with a little mystery are your thing, you need to read this one!

This book starts with Lizzie being collected by her mother Claire who has just got married ,her new husband George and her brother from St Brigid's rehab where she has been a patient for 6 months.They travel to County Mayo in the West of Ireland for a few days before the couple head off on honeymoon.The house they are staying at is in a very isolated location.The story is full of twists and turns and really is the ultimate who done it psychological thriller.It was really brought to life by the brilliant narrator Roisin Rankin.
Would definitely recommend and look forward to more books from this author.

The Party (Audiobook and Kindle Edition)
by Triona Walsh (Goodreads Author)
My rating: 3-1/2 stars rounded to 4
Bookshelves/tags: 2023, audio, bookouture, crime-mysteries, ireland-irish, netgalley, read, thrillers, women-centered

I was happy to receive an audiobook ARC (and Kindle version) of this new thriller by Triona Walsh from Bookouture and NetGalley, which is set in a remote area of Ireland on a large country estate. A wedding takes place between 2 older, divorced people (Claire and George) who invite and welcome all of their children to this wedding and party. Combining families with adult children can be very difficult, especially depending on how it's done and who the personalities are... The gifted narrator, Roisin Rankin, gives voice and credence to all of the characters. The Irish country setting is amazing.

During the on-site estate wedding at George's "cottage" in Ireland, there appears an uninvited guest, Declan O’Shea, the "deceased" ex-husband of Claire who died 5 years ago. His 2 adult children (Liz and Liam) are shocked to see him, as are Claire and her new husband, George (and his adult daughter). Find out what happens and it might just involve a murder and a freezer.

I enjoyed how Walsh sequenced the story and created interesting characters and setting. This thriller also has some odd events and strangely behaved characters, which was a fun part of her writing and humor. The finger is pointed at possible suspects when someone is found dead, but was it that simple? And what about the many shady secondary characters? Towards the last third of the novel, my suspension of disbelief began to slide and it started to lose me. Regardless, it was an interesting story. This won't be my last novel by Tríona Walsh and hopefully narrated by the same woman.

A newlywed couple picks up the bride's daughter from rehab on the way to a weekend at the groom's cottage to celebrate and meet the family. There's an arrival of an unexpected guest, and the weekend unravels from there...

At the risk of saying this a million times - I really liked the premise of this book! I was won over at the start by the dedication to the author’s “favorite parents” which made me laugh.

Unfortunately, from there, my interest unraveled as quickly as did the characters' plans. This book was way too long, like, so so so long and hardly anything happened. It felt like a YA novel vs a thriller, the dialogue felt stiff and the characters even stiffer. That, in addition to the overall vibe being somehow twee, led the story to being predictable, even with all the twists.

The audiobook narration was well done. With so many characters things can get confusing, but it was easy to keep everyone straight.

All in, this isn't one I'd recommend spending time on, but I will check out the author's other book, as it seems to be getting much better reviews than this one.

2 stars, rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

It's been 5 years since Declan O'Shea's disappearance and assumed death, leaving his wife, Claire and children, Lizzie and Liam shattered.

Now, Claire has moved on, it's the day of her wedding to George, but Declan has turned up, wanting his wife and family back. By the next morning, Declan, is once more dead. This closed circle murder mystery leaves the new, blended family unsure who they can trust.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller, full of unexpected twists.

This was my second book of Tríona Walsh's and I certainly don't think it'll be my last, looking forward to her next book.

I was skeptical of this book when it started, but ended up really enjoying it! There were twists and turns that I was expecting (which is what makes a thriller mystery good for me). I will say that I guessed who the “killer” was very early on, but other than that. I didn’t guess anything else.

I will definitely read/listen to more by this author in the future!

Quite enjoyed this book. Nice twists and turns and kept me guessing. Nice job Triona! I really didn’t see some things coming up in this book. Nice surprises!

The Party is a gripping domestic thriller centring around a family get together on a remote estate in Ireland. Complex family secrets, several flawed characters, a dead ex- husband rising from the dead and then being found dead for real, a cook who isn't really a cook and no phone signal in the woods! This book has it all and will grip you right from the prologue.
Fast paced, with lots of twists and turns as each characters' traits and back stories are revealed makes for an overall enjoyable read.
The narrator did an excellent job with the different characters' accents and used her tone to set the scene very atmospherically.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced audible copy of this book.

This book was your typical thriller. It had several twist that I was not expecting. While I did enjoy it, there were some slow parts. The ending was pretty quick and abrupt. Overall, I would recommend this book.

The idea of The Party was much better than the actual novel, it started of promisingly but quickly went from one cliche to the next and although there is murders within the book it didn't feel like a crime story, don't get me wrong its an okay read/listen but if definitely does not live up to the hype.
On the plus side Roisin Rankin does a good job with the narration.

What a sensational audio book this is, with a plot that unrolls like clockwork, and simmering tension that never lets up. Betrayal, double-crossing and the most delicious sting in the tail... I couldn't put it down.

3.75 stars

Another quick, fun, twisty thriller. I’m a bit of a sucker for drama and suspense stories set in remote locations, and this book was a good example of why. Fun stuff.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. I liked the idea of the book but it moved on from big plot points too fast. It was a fast read though..

The story started off strong but then just got too out there. I lost interest. This definitely wasn't a thriller as it was described. More eyerolling than anything..

Well that was a rollercoaster! It took me a while to get into it and for a few chapters I was not sure if I would continue as I thought I knew what would happen. Suffice it to say that I was wrong.

There were lots of twists and turns to keep me guessing, and some things that could be implausible but they worked for the story. It was well thought out and everything could be explained.

The narrator was a great match for the story and each character had a distinctive voice. .

I really enjoyed reading this book and will look out for more from this author and narrator.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC

The premise of this book is fantastic, the setting of a cottage in a forest in Mayo was written so beautifully I felt like I could smell the air. The main character Lizzie was pretty solid. Unfortunately it all fell away a bit in the middle for me and I struggled to stay with it. Still a 3 star worthy read. I’m pretty sure a beginner of domestic thrillers would absolutely love it. As I say the whole premise of the story is absolutely on point. The whole rest of the cast should’ve been strong but they all felt a little like but parts and a bit surplus. Never the less it all rounded up to a fairly satisfying end. I just wish I could’ve kept the pace I think I’d have rated it higher. Narration is done beautifully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookature for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

I didn’t like this book at all. The creepy setting was great but it was really really slow until the very end. There were way too many side stories that were just unnecessary. I felt like the dad showing up was so random and I thought that was going to be a bigger storyline than it was. Don’t recommend.

Claire has moved on in life after she loses her husband and is now happily in love with George and is all set to start her new life with her daughter Lizzy and son Liam, but as they are all celebrating the new beginnings they all get the biggest shock as Claire’s husband Declan re-appears and the same night he ends up dead!
Who killed and why, as no one from George’s family even knew about Declan!
This was a good fast paced, kind of nail-biting once the dead body is found – I finished listening to this book in 4+hrs (had to increase the speed to 2.5x just to know what was happening!!)
thank you netgalley, Triona Walsh & Bookouture Audio for approving the Audio ARC in exchange for honest review.