4 stars!

The Party by Natasha Preston is a gripping, locked room mystery. Bessie and nine boarding school friends travel to a castle in the English countryside to party and things take a deadly turn when one of them is found dead the next day. When a ravaging storm traps the kids in the castle and starts picking them off one by one, Bessie sets out to figure out who the killer is. Is it her friend?

The first half of the book was slower-paced, however, the remaining 50% had me on the edge of my seat. The twists in this novel were insane, and I did not guess the twist or the killer.

The characters are well-fleshed out and have depth. Preston did a fantastic job at creating complicated teenage characters who feel authentic despite growing up in a privileged lifestyle, and she was graceful in conveying a character with a traumatic past.

This was my first book by Natasha Preston, and I can’t wait to explore more of her works!

A party in a remote castle, owned by the twins family- destined for renovation but hated by the towns people. A group of teens, planning the party of the century, but plans go amok as the weather takes a turn for the worse. The group is trapped in the castle, the moat is overflowing and the drawbridge washes out. Now they are being murdered one by one by persons unknown.

A small group of teenagers attend a party in a creepy derelict castle. A storm hits and everyone is trapped inside with a killer who is picking them off one by one. The premise was good but I did not care for any of the characters. The deaths are somewhat graphic and there's an unnecessary twist at the end. Just why? Sadly this book was not my cup of tea.

Another great YA thriller from Natasha Preston! A creepy castle, a handfull of teenagers, and an impending storm- what could go wrong??

While the first third of this book was a little slow for me, it definitely picked up and kept my attention throughout the rest of the story. At times it was difficult keeping the multitude of characters straight, but overall it was a fun read with lots of suspense. The ending was typical for Natasha Preston, but I know she is a fan of cliffhanger endings, so it wasn't as frustrating for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished The Party by Natasha Preston, and sadly, this one wasn’t for me. The premise had so much potential—stormy night, remote castle, plenty of drama—but the execution fell flat. The plot felt predictable, and I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. The pacing dragged, and the tension I was hoping for just never showed up. I kept waiting for that big twist or moment that would hook me, but it never happened.

Ms. Preston’s books are suspenseful and well written. I’m always impressed by her ability to keep my interest in a YA book, but she knows how to put in the right amount of twists and turns while also keeping the storyline easy to follow.

3.5 ⭐️- the first part of this book dragged for me but the last 40% picked up and really held me. While I predicted some of the twists, there were still plenty of twists. This was an entertaining locked in thriller. One downside is there was quite a few typos and the ending was abrupt, overall still an enjoyable read.

The Party by Natasha Preston follows the story of Bessie, our FMC, spending her spring bring with her friends planning a party at a “glorified and luxurious” castle…or so they thought. While journeying to this castle, Bessie and her best friend Kash, realize that everything is not what it appears to be.

For those who enjoy a ya mystery, this is good and enjoyable. Preston keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out where the killer is, but more importantly is the killer among the party.

Within the story I wasn’t a fan of how it did sound more childish at times, when the characters are supposed to be between 17-18 years old. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of how it was predictable, in the sense that I guessed the killer early on.

Aside from the topic of age, I really enjoyed the side plot of the “incident” that happened previously to our main character. This “incident” really transforms each of the characters in their own respective way, showing the path that they chose to take after having their life shifted.

I would like to thank Natasha Preston and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Lots of teens staying the weekend in an abandoned castle? What could possibly go wrong?
Bessie and her boarding school friends have all lied to their parents and teachers about where they're going for the first part of their school break. They should all be at home with their families but instead they're all going to Allegra and Fergus's abandoned family castle. What is supposed to be a fun filled weekend get a damper put on it when a storm comes in and prevents most of the class from attending. Eventually people start getting hurt or going missing and they can't help but wonder if there's a killer in the castle....and if its one of them.
This book gave me a little whiplash. I was being pulled this way and that to make me think I knew what was going on. Which I kinda did. Saw the end coming but not the whole ending. I think my main gripes were that I didn't really care for most of the characters and there were some consistency issues that confused me a little. The consistency was just little things that contradicted each other sometimes. Its very possible that these things were fixed in the finished copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC!

My high school mystery readers love Natasha Preston books. This one will be another big hit. Definitely on the to-order list.

Natasha never disappoints! This was full of twists and turns I didn't see coming, I was wrong a few times trying to gets what happens. Amazing fast paced thriller that'll keep you on your toes the entire time and you won't want to put it down!

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

Bessie and her friends are prep school kids and no strangers to lying and sneaking around. When Allegra suggests a party at her family castle during one of the breaks from school, everyone is pumped. What she leaves out is that the castle is under construction and not ready for people, but they push forward with party plans counting on a generator and plenty of wood for electricity and heat. What the don’t know is that the weather will trap them in this castle…with killer(s). Bessie realizes she has no idea who to trust and possibly can trust no one as her friends are picked off one by one.

This was a pretty good read…sometimes a little far fetched for my liking, but the ending was solid with at least some explanation for the craziness that had occurred.

This was an interesting storyline. A group of kids from a private school go to party at one of their friends castles. As the night goes on each of their friend start getting murdered and they can’t figure out why. I gave this 3.5 stars

Absolutely love all of her books. The only thing I never like about her books is the ending. Like why??? This was an easy read, fast paced. I thought it was a little bit more graphic than some of her other books with a lot more killing than the other books. Still a great read, and I know my students will love it and will be just as mad with the ending as I was.

A sweet 16 party going horribly wrong. It’s reminding me a lot of clue. You just wanna keep turning the pages to find out who the culprit really is! It was a slow start, but the ending was great!

This book started off slowly, but about halfway through, it really picked up! The author took her time allowing the reader to get to know the setting, the characters, along with their background and group dynamics. It was very suspenseful and I tore through the last 60% because I had to find out what was going on! I had several theories, but just had to let go and let the truth be revealed. It was surprising and in true Natasha Preston form, it ended with a cliffhanger. It was not as shocking as some of her endings, but surprising nonetheless. The raging storm in addition to all of the suspense and drama just added to the overall horror of what these teens were going through. A storm is one thing, but this storm was something else! I have now read 5 of the flower on the cover series and really need to get to the rest of the books!

I expected a ride into the dark and twisty and this one didn't disappoint! The pacing was great and I didn't hate the ending! The characters were solid and I was totally invested in this story. The perfect thriller for a quick and immersive read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy.

Wow just wow! This book had me on edge the whole time reading it! It is my first read of 2025 and I can say it was a 10 stars ! It’s complete with suspense and full of twists!. This is my first Natasha Preston book and I will definitely be reading more of hers. I secretly hoped for a happy ending but I must confess I did enjoyed and never guessed what’s happening in the next chapter.

This is the second book I’ve ready by Natasha Preston and I definitely plan to read the others.

This one was so twisty and full of surprises. At one point I gasped out loud.

The story flowed and I never lost interest in what was going on. I’m really a fan of Natasha Preston’s writing style.

I definitely look forward to more books from this author and plan to read her backlist.

Natasha Preston (https://www.natashapreston.com/) is the author of two dozen novels. The Party was published in early December. It is the 92nd book I completed reading in 2024.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

The story is told first person from the viewpoint of 17-year-old Bessie. She and her classmates are planning a secret three-night party over spring break. They are mostly Junior Class students at an English boarding school. The family of twins Fergus and Allegra owns a castle a few hours from the school. It is set in a forest with a small village nearby. While renovations have started at the castle, the teens will have it all to themselves for their big party weekend.

Ten kids arrive without problem, but a heavy storm blows in, preventing the others from reaching the castle. The old castle is dark and gloomy, with power available only to a small portion of the space. The storm is raging outside when the first accident takes place. One of the girls goes outside and is injured by a falling tree. She seems to be ok, but when the teens wake the next morning they find her dead. At first, they assume she died from her injuries.

The group tries to go for help, but they find that all of their vehicles have been sabotaged. Slowly the remaining 9 becomes 8, then 7. Slowly their numbers are being culled. It becomes clear that they are being hunted. Is it one of the villagers that is against development of the castle and its grounds? Someone who has squatted on the property? Or one of their own?

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours reading this 337-page young adult mystery thriller. I liked the overall plot. It reminds me of books by Dean Koontz. That said, the characters in this novel are not well-developed. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 3.6 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

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