This was an easy read. Did I love it? No. It was portrayed as a "whodunnit" but honestly felt very drama induced verses mystery/thriller. There were a lot of secrets and that kept the story entertaining but I absolutely hated the characters and the fact that they all had POVs made it annoying. I finished the book and was glad for it to end.

I really enjoyed this one. The twist came out of nowhere on the last chapter which is something I really enjoy in a thriller.

This book was not only entertaining but suspenseful and kept my attention throughout. The plot twists kept me intrigued. Cox's writing style is engaging and easy to read with well developed characters. I also appreciated her ability to write from multiple viewpoints and keep me interested. The ending was well disguised with clever red herrings along the way.

Thank you netgalley for the arc of party of liars in exchange for my honest review. The story centers around the events if Sophies sweet 16 party which goes on for the majority of the novel but there are flashback chapels of the past to get you a deeper understanding of what is going on. Dani is the picture perfect instagram young replacement wife. Ethan the psychiatrist who had a fiancee who died from suicide, an alcoholic ex wife Kim and now a new young wife Dani. From the outside he seems like the perfect husband. Huge nice house, extravagant trips, etc. The nanny Orlaith is an older irish woman who lurks about keeping an eye on everyone and seems a little suspicious. Unfortunately for Sophie the party does not turn out as planned and a shocking event occurs. There is a great twist at the end of this novel. I really enjoyed the multiple points of view and the separate timelines. Solid four stars would recommend to a friend. Might actually select this one for my book club as there is plenty to discuss.

DNF 11% - I’m just not finding these first few chapters compelling enough to continue.

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love when I can’t put together the thriller puzzle pieces and this one got me!

Party of Liars takes place at a lavish sweet sixteen party, switching between past and present and multiple points of view. This one had me wondering how the cast of characters all fit together it until the bitter end!

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is a gripping, cleverly plotted locked-room mystery with a distinctly Texan flair. The lavish Sweet Sixteen party, set in a sprawling, eerie mansion, provides the perfect backdrop for secrets, rivalries, and a shocking murder that shatters the night’s celebration. Cox expertly juggles a large cast of suspects, each with their own motives, keeping readers guessing until the final twist.

The novel shines with its atmospheric setting and well-drawn characters, from the insecure new stepmother to the shrewd ex-wife, each adding layers of intrigue and tension. While the pacing occasionally slows, the suspense remains strong, and the reveal is satisfying. Fans of classic whodunnits with a modern, Southern twist will find this a fresh and entertaining read.

Sophie Matthews is turning sixteen. Her dad and step mom, Dani, are hosting an epic party in their historic Texas Hill Country dollhouse of a home. Her mom, Kim, is coping with alcoholism and being out done by the new young wife. The nanny, Órlaith, is supporting Dani with her postpartum struggles and filling a grandmother type role for baby Charlotte. Mikayla is Sophie’s best friend but is struggling with being in her shadow. Their stories weave the tale that is a sickening thud of death in a not so perfect reality.

I enjoyed this thriller and how it unraveled the story threads leading to the death at the sweet sixteen party. The opening chapter sets the stage perfectly with just the right amount of superstition and suspense. Each piece of the four women’s perspectives complement each other by progressing the story as well as building the tension to the big reveal near the end of the novel. A good read! 4 stars.

This is an honest review based on a digital Advanced Readers Copy provided by St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4 ⭐️ This was a great debut, it was a fast read that I finished in under 2 days. I thought this would be more YA as it is set during a sweet 16 birthday party but it has a lot of domestic drama that leans more into the adult story lines of martial drama, grief, loss of former life and gossipy small town rich people. Which is great for me because YA in the thriller genre is super hard for me to get into because I am so far removed from that age group. This is a lite thriller that would be great for someone new to the genre. If anything this book tries to do too much with all the people, plots and tropes, there is a bit of a supernatural element that didn’t feel developed enough in the end, but I definitely understood why it was included in the overall messaging.

I bet this would be a fun multi cast audio, (but I read this on Kindle) as it is written from 5 different POVs with short chapters (which I LOVE). The story itself isn’t super original but it is fun and I really enjoyed all the perspectives, particularly Mikayla, the best friend of birthday girl Sophie, and Kim, the ex-wife. I thought I knew where this was going multiple times and while some stuff I got right, some “twists” were shockingly fun! This would be great for fans of the book Big Little Lies.

Overall, I am so glad I picked this up because it helped me get through a pretty terrible slump! I’d definitely pick up another Kelsey Cox book and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

This was my 68th book of 2025
Format: NetGalley, Kindle e-book

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Kelsey Cox for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is out now.

PARTY OF LIARS by Kelsey Cox

A lavish, Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen turns deadly in this twisty, pulse-pounding new novel — serving up a fresh take on a classic locked-room whodunnit. Let the festivities begin…

Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Sophie’s dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion—once thought haunted and shuttered for years from outsiders—is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.

This was a very interesting read. Lots of twists and turns

Party of Liars was such a satisfying thriller with mystery elements. The entire book, other than some flashbacks, takes place at a sweet 16 party. Initially, I was concerned that this would read more like a YA or become dull, given that a single setting can feel monotonous after a hundred pages, but that was not the case with this story. The story is told through different POVs, but it never felt like too much. The characters were easy to keep track of, and all of the backstories and developmental narratives were so good! Kelsey Cox is very skilled at making you think one thing while she performs a literary sleight of hand and cultivates another. I genuinely didn't guess the final twist!

I think many people will relate to the themes of motherhood, narcissism, substance abuse, general insecurity, and "wrong" love, but the story is also fueled by the author's attention to detail and the perpetual unfolding of information and character development. I wasn't bored once! There is no fluff or filler- Everything that happens has a purpose, and I appreciated that level of focus throughout the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at St. Martin's Press for my ARC copy! This is one of those thrillers that you'll want to read in one sitting. It hooks you from the very beginning, and almost everyone will find a character to relate to early on in the story. This book is a debut?!! To that I say, "brava!" I can't wait to see what else this author creates. All of her future books will be automatic "reads" for me!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

I always love a Texas setting, and enjoyed this via audio, although it did take a minute to keep the characters straight at first. Sophie is turning 16 and as such will have her sweet sixteen party, which is invite only and no expense has been spared. So of course, there will be a body, and it will fall dramatic style from the balcony onto the dance floor just before Sophie blows out her candles…

This was a fun one, told from multiple POVs and it was juicy as we got to the bottom of what went wrong leading up to the death and these folks have tons of drama. It was a quick and entertaining binge-able thriller, I definitely recommend it if you like these kinds of locked room thrillers that are full of drama and secrets.

What a suspenseful book! Twists and turns at every corner! It was woven together masterfully and I really enjoyed the ride!

This was wild and addictive! So many characters but they all blend together seamlessly. I loved the pacing and the side characters. Also Orla the nanny creeped me the eff out from the get go!

Happy Pub Day to 𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑳𝑰𝑨𝑹𝑺 𝒃𝒚 𝑲𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒙 and Narrated by Dan Bittner; Kate Handford; Pearl Hewitt; Saskia Maarleveld; Suzy Jackson! Thank you @macmillan.audio & @minotaur_books @stmartinspress for access via @netgalley for this fun suspense!

As this story began with a man, his 2nd wife with her baby, his ex wife and their 16 year old daughter & her best friend, and the current nanny, there were some interesting perspectives that I knew would play out in this suspense. I almost hate that I try to parse out the story based on the POV's, but I can't help it. And I was wrong here, but not completely, so I felt both validated and pleasantly surprised.

As I like to go in blind to such stories, I'll only say this story dealt with postpartum issues, gaslighting (or was it?), controlling relationships, a possible curse, curious connections, and all wrapped up in a Sweet 16 Birthday Party.

I liked that everyone seemed to have a sinister feeling and I couldn't quite determine who would be the big bad or what would inevitably come crashing down. There were many avenues this could take, and while I was not quite as shocked, I was satisfied and enjoyed the final chapters.

For a solid suspense, I would recommend this one!

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
My thriller kick has really been kicking lately, and I’m back with another one I couldn’t put down. This debut thriller was such a wild ride. It had everything I love in a locked room mystery: messy drama, jaw dropping secrets, and multiple POVs that slowly revealed all the secrets and pieced together the puzzle in the most satisfying way. The writing was so sharp, and there were parts that made me cringe so hard and made me feel so uncomfortable but I couldn’t put it down. What really stood out to me was the message to trust yourself and your gut. The strong female leads were layered, complicated, and so raw. And the quotes about motherhood hit me right in the heart. If you’re a new mom, I’d definitely recommend checking trigger warnings before diving in, but wow this one really stuck with me. And that ending was perfection, one of my favorite thriller endings I’ve ever read. Add this to your thriller TBR immediately.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🔐Locked door mystery
🔎Who-dunnit
👻Haunted mansion
❎Unreliable narrators
🤐Secrets and lies
🤰🏻Motherhood
🖤Complicated relationships
⏩Addictive and bingeable
🌪️Twisty and slow burn
🗣️Multiple POV

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Mental illness.

🎂𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🎂
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

💕Q U O T E: “𝐼 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀, 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒿𝑜𝒷 𝑜𝒻 𝒶 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓋𝑒, 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃 𝒶 𝓈𝒶𝒻𝑒, 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝓈𝑒𝓁𝓋𝑒𝓈, 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓌 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝓈𝑒𝓁𝓋𝑒𝓈.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Kelsey Cox for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

A sweet 16… turned deadly.
Told through multiple POVs, every chapter leaves you wondering - who died? And more importantly, who did it?

Twisty, fast-paced, and full of unreliable narrators, I flew through this one.
Perfect for fans of messy secrets, shifting perspectives, and a killer mystery vibe.
Highly recommend this binge-worthy read!

A lavish Sweet Sixteen in the Texas Hill Country turns deadly in this gripping locked-room mystery. When a body falls from a balcony during Sophie Matthews’s black-tie birthday bash, secrets unravel fast—and everyone’s a suspect.

This debut is a fast-paced, twist-filled read that kept me engaged from start to finish. The whodunnit element is sharp and suspenseful, the characters' hidden motives kept me guessing and some of the reveals that genuinely surprised me. The audiobook was a standout—easy to follow and brought vividly to life by a talented cast of narrators who captured each character’s complexity and emotion.

Fast-paced, twisty, and atmospheric—this is a strong debut that delivers both suspense and style.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day! I had to know what was going to happen. I thought it had a great storyline and I loved all the characters. I definitely will recommend this book.

Oh my word is this a twisty book. Dani thinks shes crazy and seeing things in the old home her husband restored that might be haunted. Kim, the ex wife is really angry because she should be living in that house. Sophie's 16 birthday party is a cluster with drunk Mom Kim in attendance, Dani, the step Mom has a meltdown during the party. Young boys and girls with raging hormones at the party and them throw in nanny who might who acts quite suspiciously. And, oh boy, is there a great twist. Fun read. We'll written. Fits the genre so well.