Allegra and Kashvi have been best friend since here they first met at St. Mary’s Grammar School. Now as teens have are roommates in Boarding school.
Spring Break is coming up and Kashvi’s parents want her to go to New Delhi to visit relatives However, Allegra’s plan to stay at her dad’s abandoned remote castle in the English countryside sound like more fin.

Allegra and her twin brother Fergus have an elaborate scheme for a weekend party. They invited friend who all lie about where they are going including Kash. Kash actually takes the train that will take her to the airport so that she can fly to New Delhi only is pick up by a friend and taken to the castle.
As everyone is arrive at the party a terrible storm is also arriving.

This is a YA book and reads as such, the beginning of the book is rather slow in speed and then towards the end the gas pedal is slammed to the floor and doesn’t let up. If you’re looking for something to entertain your teenager this might be for them.

The Party is a stand-alone thriller that had so much promise, yet it fell flat. I loved the castle and the English surroundings, but the characters didn’t catch my attention and bring the story forward. It lacked depth and likable characters in my opinion. But if you have younger children they may enjoy this as a quick read so it’s not a complete bust, and thankfully, it is a short read

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Natasha Preston for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Party coming out December 3, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read a few books by this author and I enjoy her writing/plots. There have been a couple that were a miss for me. But I was really excited to check this book out. I think the plot sounded really fun. I was really happy with this book! I definitely love the setting at an English castle. I love locked in type of mysteries. The characters were interesting. There was of course some horror movie decisions made that weren’t the brightest. But overall, I loved it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA mysteries!

Title: The Party
By: Natasha Preston
Pub. Date: December 3, 2024

Genre:
Fiction, Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery

Trigger Warnings:
Drinking, Murder, Violence

Summary:
Time to sneak away to the party of a lifetime, until the party takes unexpected twists and turns that no one saw coming. Twins, Fergus and Allegra are hosting a party at their families castle. Reluctantly, Bessie and Kash join in the party, and regardless of their gut feeling, they feel the need to participate. The entire school was invited to attend the party, however, only ten showed up. A big storm blows in, the wind is chunking, and trees are falling everywhere…this begins the build up for Natasha Preston’s “The Party” where all those in attendance start drinking and dancing, the next morning they are trapped, with no method of communication, and chaos ensues. What has happened? Will everyone make it out alive?

Review:
As a middle grade educator, I’ve always enjoyed reading Natasha Preston’s novels. She excels at creating tension and fast-paced plots that often surprise me in the best ways. However, I found the plot of “The Party” to have a few gaps, and it lacked the characteristic depth of Preston's usual characters. While the final part of the book was unpredictable, it felt unrealistic and ultimately left me disappointed. Depending on the type of reader you are, you may love the twists and turns Preston has created, find out for yourself and I’d love to hear your reviews.

Thank you Natasha Preston, Random House Children’s, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#TheParty
#RandomHouseChildrens
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

Where to start, gosh I’m disappointed. I’ve read many Natasha Preston books- and loved them all -so I consider myself very familiar with her writing style, but this book seems like it wasn’t her work at all. There were many scenes that irritated me deeply, and had me seriously questioning if this book was just supposed to be one big joke. One scene in particular, in the beginning of the book, where a girl gets a head injury outside in a storm. All of her friends rush out to help her, and the way it was written in that she got cared for made absolutely no sense, everyone was concerned about her wet clothes instead of addressing her head wound immediately. And then a girl makes a statement that she wants to pursue the medical field. Makes no sense, I’m sorry. In my opinion this scene was a prime example of why heavy research must be done. Also, the dialogue between the teens felt like it was written by an adult unfortunately. I’m not a nitpick, I just could not look past the errors. I hope to read more from her with a better outcome- like I’m used to.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for a chance at reading this book prior to it's publication.

Natasha Preston writes some good whodunnits!! In this one, we have a group of rich teens who throw a party at a castle. The weather becomes absolutely terrible, trapping the teens in the castle - with a killer. And the bodies start piling up!! 🩸

I had it figured out pretty early on who the killer was, but one of my other assumptions was incorrect! And of course, a great little twist at the end!! 🙌

And I didn’t feel like I had to throw my Kindle across the room at the end (looking at you, The Island), so that’s a bonus! 😂

Definitely a great page turner and a fun read!! Check it out if you like YA whodunnits!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Natasha Preston for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️ I’ll definitely be checking out more by this author in the future!

I'm not one for locked room murder mysteries, and this one didn't sway me either way. It took awhile to get into, but when it picks up, you can't put it down. It's slightly cliche, with unrealistic motives and reads like a YA, which completely fits its genre. So there's that. The premise of the book was enjoyable, big party....secrets....who is really who they say they are.... pick it up if you love a twisty thriller.

Twists and turns at every chapter! Didn’t know until the very end who dunnit! Enjoyed this book! Love all of Preston’s novels!! Keep them coming!!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s and Author Natasha Preston for this ARC of The Party. All opinions included in this review are honest and strictly my own.

Rating System:
1 star - I did not finish and will not pick it up again
2 stars - I did not finish, may finish sometime in the future. Was not interested in the story, was not enjoyable, or was poorly written.
3 stars - Finished the story, it was average, did not dislike or like it overall.
4 stars - I liked the story, it was enjoyable, would recommend.
5 stars - I loved the story, will recommend every time, and would even read it again.

Bessie and nine of her school friends go to an abandoned, rundown castle to have a party. A severe storm hits, trapping them inside. That isn’t the only problem when soon they start to get killed off one by one by someone that is also in the castle with them.

The pacing at the beginning of the book is a bit slow for my liking. I like a thriller that keeps me at the edge of my seat throughout , and keeps me wanting to turn the pages. This book didn’t quite hit the mark for me in that way, at least the first half.

The pacing for the second half of the books was a bit better, and had some twists and turns. The writing is definitely more in the level of preteens/teens, and the characters act, speak, and make decisions like you would expect teenagers to do. This is my second book I have read by Natasha Preston, and I would say that it was okay, but not something I will regularly recommend to anyone over the age of 15. It took me quite some time to get through this one, and it just didn’t keep my attention like I would have liked.

If you are looking for a thriller/mystery for a preteen/teen, this is the target audience for this book.

3/5 stars, but for younger audiences.

Bessie and her friends have a plan for a great party during spring break. They have access to a castle and want this to be the best party ever. When the first partier dies, though, this will not be a normal party. As more people lose their lives, this group of friends will learn secrets best kept hidden. Who is the killer? What are the secrets that will be revealed?

The Party is a stand-alone thriller that had so much promise, yet it fell flat. I loved the castle and the English surroundings, but the characters didn’t catch my attention and bring the story forward. It wasn’t a complete bust, and thankfully, it is a short read. It is a fun escape that should not be rushed to the top of your TBR list.

Thank you NetGalley! I love Natasha Preston’s books. And always enjoy a locked room type thriller. The twists will shock you

This is a story about a group of friends who decide to sneak off during holiday to have a party in an abandoned castle. Shortly after arriving, a huge storm hits and is expected to last the entire weekend. That very same day, one friend gets badly injured and is found dead the next morning. They all quickly believe it was due to her injuries. But when they try to call for help, they notice they are all missing their cell phones. And then someone else is found dead. The first half is a very slow read, but after the second death, it quickly takes on a new life. Once they all realize at least one of their friends at this party is a killer, it sets in motion the last half full of twists and turns right up to the last sentence of the book.

I swear every Natasha Preston book messes with mind more and more each time. This book follows a group of rich boarding school kids staying their break at an actual castle. The friends are trying to recover from an accident that nearly took some of their lives. The arrival at the castle proves to be just in time when a raging storm kicks up they are trapped when the body count begins to rise. Bessie the narrator is torn between what she remembers and what she knows, anyone can be the killer. Will anyone survive the weekend at the castle? Overall a good thrilling short read that reminder me of scream/scream queens.

What a wild ride reading this book was. This is the second Natasha Preston book I've read. I had a couple moments where it dragged for me but other than that I enjoyed this book.

If you are a Natasha Preston fan then this is a must-read! If you haven't given her a try yet, here is your sign to pick up this book and give it a shot!

Natasha Preston did it again! She has this captivating writing style and she never runs out of murder mystery ideas. Such an amazing book and has outdone herself!

This book earned every single one of its five stars. I spent the whole book trying to figure out the twist- who to trust, who did it and why. I changed my mind several times and I was wrong every time. I was originally concerned that the ending would be cliched, but I was staring at the last page, shaking my head and grinning to myself as I processed it. There's a reason I will always pick up a Natasha Preston book.

It was a slow start but I still loved this book. It was quick and easy to get through. Once I got past the slow start and the first incident happens I couldn’t put it down. I kept coming up with my own conclusion which I was right about half of it. Natasha Preston is my favorite YA author. I appreciated being able to read this book before it came out.

Natasha Preston does it again! I couldn’t put this book down, it was so good! Her writing pulls me in and I can’t put down her books until I have finished it.

this one is good! Preston always has the thrills and covers are beautiful. I hope more books come soon from her

I was excited to receive this as an ARC! Absolutely love the cover.

This YA read kept my attention during a long plane ride, helping the time pass quickly. I was able to read in one sitting! I felt transported into the decrepit castle. The ending was unexpected but believable and satisfying.