Review posted: 8.22.25

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I’ll admit that this cover REALLY caught my attention. And then the description wowed me.

I love a good mystery/thriller and one with a big cast just really thrills me usually because the red herrings are generally abundant.

What I liked:

This cover is SO great!

The cast of characters. All of our characters have stories in them and are so much more than they seem.

The birthday party. It was insane in the best way.



Bottom line: Party of Liars is a book that should be on your TBR list. It’s deliciously extra and filled with characters that make this book!

Party of Liars is one of those books that keeps you on your toes from start to finish. The cast of characters is intriguing, each one adding a layer of mystery and tension that pulls you deeper into the story. There’s a lingering sense of something unnatural woven throughout, which made the atmosphere even more gripping. It was definitely a page-turner and I found myself needing to know what would happen next.

Party of Liars grabbed me from page one with its opulent Texas mansion, a glittering Sweet‑Sixteen, and secrets that crash onto the dance floor as a body falls from the balcony. This story is set on a cliffside mansion, with glass walls and haunted whispers.

This novel blends classic locked-room mystery with psychological drama and a subtle gothic twist(hello, have you met me?! Immediately yes to this blend!)

With multi‑pov’s that alternate between characters, Dani (the anxious stepmom), Kim (the bitter ex), Mikayla (the guarded best friend), and Órlaith (the superstitious nanny), it gives off a fun shifting perspective that intensified the suspense for me.

If you love a twisty, women‑focused thriller with atmospheric flair and psychological twists, this story might be for you.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good book. It had me wanting to know what was going on with each character. You keep wondering who it could be and what they are doing. Great book!

A dramatic sweet 16 party turns deadly! If you enjoy a good whodunit with a mix of teen and adult drama, you will enjoy Party of Liars.

Plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming kept me turning the pages quickly. The 4 different POVs were also great and each character was compelling. A great choice for an end of summer thriller!

The characters in this were so unlikable but not in a fun way. I just hated them and hated reading about them.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is a psychological thriller that takes place during a lavish Sweet Sixteen birthday party for a girl named Sophie Matthews, held at her family's newly renovated, and possibly haunted, cliffside mansion in Texas. The party is a tense affair, with a "killer guest list" that includes Sophie's complicated family members: her new stepmother, Dani; her mother, Kim; and her best friend, Mikayla. The book is told from multiple perspectives and acts as a "locked-room" whodunnit. The plot kicks off when a body falls from the balcony onto the dance floor, and the rest of the book focuses on the secrets, lies, and grudges of the various guests, all of whom have a reason to want someone dead. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Party of Liars was a gripping, Rashomon-style suspense novel told by multiple narrators. The reader is not only left to piece together the actual events within the story, but also to determine which narrators are reliable and what their various agendas and incentives might be.

The titular party is Sophie’s Sweet Sixteen, though it seems that her father Ethan has used the occasion as an excuse to throw open the doors to his dollhouse on the hill for all to see and admire from within. Ethan’s ex-wife Kim, new wife Dani, baby daughter Charlotte, nanny, business partner and neighbors, and Sophie’s friends from school all intermingle at the all-day affair, which combines strained relationships, too much sun and alcohol, wealth, self doubt, and a hundred-year old tragedy and curse, resulting in a highly combustible situation.

Chapters are divided between the characters and “before” and “after.” As the story develops, we begin to understand how characters relate to one another, and what motivates their behaviors. The action of the plot all takes place during the party itself, with flashbacks narrated by the characters to explain their perspectives and histories. The suspense mounts as we realize that another tragedy has befallen the house’s inhabitants.

I enjoyed piecing together the puzzle through the characters’ viewpoints and explanations. There were some minor characters that I had a harder time tracking, and I think more indications of the progression through the party timeline (seriously, how long does this party go on?!) would have kept me in the story a bit better, but Party of Liars felt like it was moving us inextricably forward toward some kind of unavoidable and disastrous outcome. Tension mounts and individuals’ interior lives rub up against each other like sticks rubbed together to start a fire.

Each motive could be pure or twisted into an unhealthy obsession, but who will achieve their ultimate goal and who will pay the ultimate price?

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. Highly recommended!

Not what I expected at all! We have different POVs that tell fears and dreams and innermost thoughts for all the main characters. You know there is a death from the beginning but not who or why until the very end. Somehow one night was a full book of action!

(3.5/4)

This one was a pleasant surprise! I started this (ebook and audiobook) on a whim and honestly I got really into it really fast and binged like 40-50% in 2 days. The characters were really interesting and they all had secrets and lies they were keeping.

The setting of the “haunted mansion” was thrilling and added a scary/paranormal element that I really enjoyed. At times I was scared by the suspense of it all.

The twist was interesting - not sure it was overly shocking but I wasn’t expecting where the story was going and some of the characters surprised me by revealing their lies. I like how the story ended even if it was a bit morbid. I would check your triggers on this one if you are sensitive to specific topics.

I think the book was really well written and flowed well and it was easy to tell the multiple POVs apart from the distinct character writing.

Triggers - postpartum psychosis/depression, alcoholism, mental breakdown, inappropriate relationship with minor

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC - for more reviews check me out on booksta @readitwithtay

I loved this book! The author, Kelsey Cox, wrote great characters, a great plot with twists and turns, and a great setting. This story was interesting and believable. I enjoyed this book so much, I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it. I'm so glad you're "The Writer," Kelsey.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox had me completely hooked from the very first page. What begins as the ultimate Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen in a sprawling cliffside mansion, and a guest list dripping with secrets spirals into a nightmare the moment a body falls from the balcony. Suddenly, it’s not a party anymore…it’s a crime scene. 🎉🔪

This book was dark, tense, and twisty in the best way. The characters felt so well-written and layered, each carrying their own secrets, motives, and grudges. I loved how the multiple POVs and dual timelines (“before” and “after” the party) built the tension and kept me flying through the chapters. I was constantly on edge, flipping pages to see who would survive and who was hiding the biggest lie.

But what I loved most? The atmosphere. The gothic vibes of the house gave the whole story an eerie, almost haunted feel. I am such a sucker for thrillers that make you question if everything is truly as it seems, and Cox nailed that balance of glitz and darkness. A gorgeous Victorian mansion with a haunting history is basically a recipe for disaster and it delivered.

The ending was a knockout. I was convinced I had it all figured out, but the Author completely blindsided me with her final twist. 👏 It was so clever and so unexpected. I love when an author can pull one over on me like that.

If you’re craving a thriller that’s glitzy, atmospheric, and packed with sharp twists, Party of Liars needs to be at the top of your TBR. For a debut, this was seriously impressive. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martins Press & Minotaur Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one Texas sized sweet 16 crazy ride of a party! Told from several POVs but still very easy to follow. It is fast paced, engaging and kept my attention from start to finish. I was pleasantly surprised with the good mix and separation of the adult drama amidst the teen drama.

Killer debut from Kelsey Cox- excited to see what she comes out with in the future!

Thank you to Minotaur Books, Netgalley and Kelsey Cox for this ARC!

Party of Liars was such a fun, twisty read. From the first few chapters, I could already tell secrets were going to unravel, and Cox definitely delivered on the drama and suspense. The mix of messy friendships, hidden truths, and the tension at the center of the story kept me hooked the whole way through.

The pacing was quick and addictive—I found myself saying “just one more chapter” more than once. The characters are flawed in a very real way, which makes the story even juicier, though a couple of them were a little frustrating at times.

Overall, it was an entertaining, binge-worthy read. Perfect if you enjoy drama, secrets, and a little bit of scandal.

I will devour a locked room thriller any time! This was a great setting, a sweet 16 birthday party in Texas and a multiple POV narrative. Someone ends up dead and the story works backwards leading into that moment. I started this one on my Kindle and ended up switching to audio about halfway through and the audiobook is very well done! I loved the different voice actors for each POV. The twists were interesting and not what I expected. I would recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this amazing debut novel in advance. This one was definitely a page turner, an intricate web of plot lines and perspectives. I can definitely say that the ending surprised me in a wonderful way. This is a solid debut and I look forward to reading more by this author!

It was Sophie Matthew’s sixteenth birthday party but her father Ethan used the occasion to show off his newly renovated cliffside mansion. As drinks were flowing and neighbors were socializing, a body fell from the balcony to the patio below. Kelsey Cox keeps you guessing who took that fateful plunge as she takes you back in time to introduce you to the participants and what led to the murder. Ethan and his wife Kim bought the rundown mansion and worked together to renovate it. Before it was complete their marriage fell apart when Kim’s drinking became a problem. He accused her of things that she had no memory of and moved on to Dani a new wife who was much younger. They shared custody of their daughter Sophie, but there was a lot of resentment whenever she dropped their daughter at the house that she designed. Dani and Ethan now have a new daughter, Charlotte. Since her birth Dani has had problems remembering events and Ethan has had to hire Orlaith, a nanny. In a home where the original owner’s wife committed suicide, Orlaith often expresses her belief that there is a presence in the home and that there will be more tragedy to come.

Cox’s story is told in short chapters that alternate between events at the party and the POV of the main characters. Kim vows to say sober at her daughter’s party, but facing Ethan and her old neighbors leads to a few drinks too many. Dani wants everything to go right to prove to Ethan that she is fine, but before the cake is cut disaster strikes. Through it all, Ethan proves himself to be a master of manipulation while coming across as the loving husband. The party comes to a conclusion with the death and a surprising twist that I never say coming. It is a story that will keep you glued to the pages to the very end. I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur for providing this book.

This domestic drama does not have many twists and turns. I feel the trope is getting overused.

Four POVs to determine if there is a haunted house, crazy new Mom, and nanny up to no good. All of these POVs work to convince the MC that her postpartum depressions is causing disillusions and hallucinations.

I was not surprised in the end. The characters were not too engaging. I was expecting to get mad at those who were against the MC, but not enough there.

Not bad, but not something I will regularly recommend.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox was my first read by this author, and it delivered a deliciously dark blend of psychological suspense and gothic intrigue. Set in the opulent Texas Hill Country, the story revolves around a lavish Sweet Sixteen party that spirals into tragedy when a body falls from a balcony. Cox crafts a locked-room mystery with a modern twist, unraveling secrets through multiple perspectives including Dani, the gaslit stepmother; Órlaith, the superstitious nanny; and Kim, the vengeful ex-wife. Each character is layered with emotional depth and hidden motives, making the unraveling of the truth both chilling and compulsively readable.

What impressed me most was Cox’s ability to fuse atmosphere with emotional tension. The renovated cliffside mansion isn’t just a setting it’s a character in itself, amplifying the claustrophobia and paranoia that permeate the narrative. Themes of motherhood, mental health, and inherited trauma are woven into the plot with sensitivity and bite, elevating the novel beyond a typical whodunnit. As a newcomer to Cox’s work, I found her prose sharp and immersive, and her characters unforgettable. This debut has definitely earned her a spot on my watchlist for future thrillers.

A sweet sixteen, a cliffside mansion, a haunting, and a body on the ground—sounds like my kind of party. This one had all the ingredients I usually love: layered women, petty drama, postpartum spirals, and just enough ghost story to make you squint at the shadows. The shifting POVs worked for me most of the time, but occasionally it felt like the plot was juggling too many secrets at once and not all of them landed clean.

That said, I was still into it. The vibes? Excellent. The mess? Delicious. The twist? Not bad at all. While it doesn't reinvent the genre, it offers a captivating and fast-paced experience that I prefer over another predictable thriller.