Kind of slow and nothing mind blowing. Maybe if I hadn’t read so many similar I’d have liked it more. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

This debut thriller has an intriguing, before/after plot line with several POVs, each contributing their distinct voices to the story, particularly Orla.
The author effectively combines various subplots including teenage angst and their drama, petty rich adult cliques and a ghost legend in this unique narrative. She gave the ending a creative turn as well.
The narrator excelled at performing the different accents.
Highly recommend!
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to listen to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When you mix people behaving badly, secrets, a Sweet Sixteen, and murder in to one book, it's bound to be entertaining. I loved Party of Liars absolutely loved and it is the perfect summer thriller!

You get a number of different perspectives throughout the book which I'm always a fan of, especially in a thriller. Each character has a different view on what is going on at the party and the events that have lead up to everything, and it definitely threw me off who could be behind things.

A Texas Sweet Sixteen birthday party sets the stage for this clever who-done-it. Sophie Matthews is turning sixteen today and her father is throwing a lavish birthday party sparing no expense. Everyone is invited to their newly renovated cliffside mansion - more like castle - that has a storied history all its own. The party ends in tragedy with a body falling from the balcony above. Who is the victim? And why were they murdered?

This book was a lot of fun. Quite the cast of characters (suspects) with multiple POVs that keep the plot moving forward. It is twisty and fast paced. The tension builds nicely with short chapters that kept me swiping left as fast as I could. It's a welcome addition to the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

It's Sophie's sweet sixteen, but her lavish party is interrupted when someone falls to their death from an upper balcony. But who? How?

This twisty thriller revolves around a cast of women that are all battling personal demons and keeping dark secrets - absolutely nothing is as it seems. Cox's talent for writing cliffhangers at the end of each chapter combined with the rotating points of view kept these pages FLYING! Settle in for drama, duplicity, and rich people behaving badly. Chaos and poor choices abound, but the story flows easily despite the multiple POVs and reflections back in time. The story is well crafted, the characters are fully formed, and the ending was tremendously satisfying. Pack it in your beach bag!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to eavesdrop on this birthday party from hell in exchange for this honest review.

What an excellent thriller! The whole thing was great...front to back. I loved how it unfolded and how was left wanting more at the end of each chapter. The ending was stellar.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

The party in this story is for Sophie, Dani’s stepdaughter, it’s her sweet sixteenth. During the party someone dies. The story goes back and forth between before the party and after the incident.

We get days leading up to the party, the day of the party, the party itself, and days after the party. This story has multiple POV’s. Dani the stepmom, Kim the ex-wife and Sophie’s mom, Mikayla who is Sophie’s best friend, and finally Orlaith the nanny for Dani’s new baby.

Wondering who died and what exactly happened left me guessing. I had no idea some of the things that would be revealed. This is definitely a good “who dun-nit” and what happened.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book I truly enjoyed reading. I look forward to more books by this author and I would highly recommend this book to friends.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is an addictive Southern gothic locked-room thriller set in a restored cliffside mansion in Texas Hill Country. At Sophie Matthews’s Sweet Sixteen party, a shocking death changes everything. The story is told from several characters’ point of view and across alternating timelines, which gradually reveals the tangled secrets behind that night.

The pacing slows a bit in the middle, but the ending is fast and surprising. This novel gave me serious Lisa Jewell vibes. Kelsey Cox is definitely an author to watch!

Read this if you like:
– Locked-room mysteries
– Gothic settings with modern twists
– Houses that feel like a character
– Non linear stories told through alternating timelines that slowly reveal hidden truths
– Themes of motherhood, female rage, alcoholism, postpartum depression, privilege, and mental illness explored through suspense
– Gaslighting and characters not appearing as they are
– Many secrets and lies
– Multi-POV thrillers with well-developed female characters
– Family drama meets murder mystery
– Cliffhanger endings in each chapter
– A WOW-satisfying ending
– Supernatural aspects and urban legends

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books for this e-ARC which will be published July 1st 2025.

The setup? Immaculate. A glamorous Sweet Sixteen set in a possibly haunted Texas mansion, a tangled web of guests with secrets, and a body that quite literally drops in mid-party? Yes, please. I was instantly drawn in by the premise, a locked-room mystery meets southern gothic drama.

But while the tension was there, the execution felt stretched too thin. The pacing dragged in places, and it took a while to unravel the different character arcs. Listening to the audiobook helped keep me engaged, being able to adjust the speed definitely made it feel more dynamic and less sluggish.

That said, the shifting perspectives added layers to the mystery, and the atmosphere was rich with eerie undertones and Texas opulence. If you like:

Multi-POV thrillers
Dramatic family secrets
Murder at a mansion vibes
A touch of the gothic…
…then this one’s worth checking out (especially in audio!).

A creepy house, a sweet sixteen party, and many people with secrets makes for a compelling read. This book is told from multiple viewpoints and will keep you guessing as to who is dead. Someone has a devastating fall, but who. You won't find out until the end. The characters are well developed and you will wander if a dead spirit haunts this house. A debut worth reading. Looking forward to more from this author. I would recommend this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KelseyCox, and #MinotaurBooks for a copy of this book.
#PartyofLiars

This book is part Gothic thriller, part suspense mystery and a page turner look at the secrets we keep behind closed doors. Sophie's party is set at a house that was once cursed and haunted, and been remodeled into a modern spectacle by her parents. But the house is occupied by her dad, her stepmother, half sister and the baby's nanny. And maybe a ghost or two. Or is it? Things are NOT what they seem to be and everyone lies to each other. meanwhile her mother is coming to her birthday party and she just knows she will ruin it with her drinking. By not giving you all the background of the characters up front, the author allows the reader to make the same assumptions about the main characters that the locals do. But then as bits of the truth come out and secrets are laid bare, the reader realizes they have it all wrong and the truth is worse than they though. With a roller coaster ending, this modern gothic tale, will be your summer book club share!

A phenomenal thriller debut! Dark and atmospheric with just the right amount of dread, this book blends strong character development with suspense, mystery, and glitz. I loved the glamor of the setting, the uniqueness of a gothic story set in Texas. All of the P.O.V. characters were distinct and well drawn, and the twists were smart and unexpected without feeling unfounded. Can't wait to see what Kelsey Cox writes next!

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is a debut novel. Doting husband Ethan is hosting a sophisticated sixteenth birthday celebration for his daughter Sophie, shared with his ex-wife Kim. This is no ordinary teenage party; it is an elegant, black-tie event that includes adults. The festivities take a dark turn when a body falls from the balcony of Ethan's impressive home during the cake presentation. It becomes clear that someone will not survive this gathering, but who falls and who is doing the pushing? Will it be Kim, the estranged ex-wife; Dani, the much younger wife and new mother; Mikayla, Sophie’s shy yet jealous best friend; or Orlaith, the superstitious nanny who frequently discusses death?

I eagerly read this book once I began. Although the characters may not be very endearing, fans of unreliable narrators and portrayals of wealthy individuals behaving badly may find this an engaging read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing this ARC.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Minotaur for allowing me to review this arc.

Who fell off the balcony of Sophie s over the top Sweet Sixteen party? The book opens with that then goes into the past with multiple POVs with the daughter Sophie, her BFF Mikayla, Kim, her mom, Dani, her stepmother, Olaith, her baby half sisters nanny, and Ethan her father. Add to that Dani getting stalked and receiving threats, a decent little mystery. Not wowed but an easy quick read

This is a Sweet Sixteen that all the party guests will remember forever, but only because someone didn’t make it out alive…

Ethan spares no expense for his daughter’s birthday bash, and while it’s supposed to be for the kids, he uses it as an excuse to invite all of his friends and show off his impressive house. The house has a history, and everyone in town thinks it’s haunted, so they’re dying to get in and see it in person.

The guest list for the party is extensive, and this story is told in multiple POVs from different party-goers. I thought they were all distinct enough that I never got them confused, which can be hard to pull off! We get little snippets from each of them over the course of the night in a Before/After the incident structure. It worked well for me and really kept the fast pace moving along!

This book looks at complex family dynamics, motherhood, postpartum anxiety, memories and “crazy” women... or are they?

I thought it tied up nicely; however, I did feel a little underwhelmed once it all played out. Not a bad ending by any means, I just had hoped for a bit more to push this up to a four star for me because I was loving it for the first 70%!

This was a really good debut, and I’ll definitely check out more from Kelsey Cox in the future! 3.5 stars!

This was fun and the twist actually got me! I know sometimes with locked room mysteries, there ends up being a lot of characters to keep up with - but with this one, there were only 4, so it made it so much easier!

I absolutely LOVED the creepy “the mother” element, and how everything came together was 🤌🏻 if you like a twisty, mystery, locked room read, definitely add this one to your tbr!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Party of Liars
Author: Kelsey Cox
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: July 1, 2025

This book is a rollercoaster of creepy, lying characters. The teens are spoiled delinquents, the husband is seriously questionable, and the “crazy” beautiful young wife (second or third, who’s counting?) is in and out of touch with reality. Her psychiatrist works with the husband, the nanny is from Ireland and is wacky weird, and all the friends are not really friends. I would only trust the little baby, Charlotte, who can’t crawl yet.

And that’s what makes this story so delicious. They all live in a stunning, gorgeous renovated mansion on a hill in Texas made of glass, which would seem to imply that they don’t have secrets. But you would be wrong.

The story starts with Ethan, the husband, and Dani throwing a 16th birthday party for his stepdaughter, Sophie. No expense is spared, and it’s the party of the century where local people can come and see the home. People with a lot of sketchy stories make for a good story, and an exciting day when mixed with tons of booze.

The ending is well done, and reading this story was a blast. I started and stopped only to eat and sleep. Enjoy!

@minotaur_books @netgalley @kelseycoxwriter #partyofliars #thriller #mystery #suspense #gaslighting #adultery #murder #death #ghosts #spirits #psychologicalThriller #crazy #doubts #cheaters #alcoholics #glasshouses #bookreviewer #bookstagram #book #books

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.

Sophie is turning Sweet 16 and her Dad decides to give her a huge party to impress his friends and show off his house and new wife. Lots of drama going on: the house has a reputation of being haunted, Sophie's Mom is still battling alcoholism and salty about the divorce but in attendance, Sophie has just broken up with the star quarterback but invited him to make him regret it, her best friend is awkward around her cheerleading friends and the Nanny is obsessed with Sophie's little sister as if she is her own child. When you add Day Drinking to it by all, the secrets start to build into a crescendo and it's "all fun and games until someone gets hurt". Very twisty thriller and keeps you guessing until the end!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC! #partyofliars

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

This was good fast paced family drama full of different POV’s which is great because you get insight into every character and why they made the choices they did. I loved the story and that it all took place over one day. Definitely going on my book recs.