This book had so many twists and turns I never could have guessed what was going to happen next. The perfect book for me! I loved all the characters Dani young yet strong and such a great person. Orlaith was a little weird, so that made me like her. Kim was a great character and Makayla she was one I could root for. The scenes were drawn so well I was right there in every room right along with the characters

This was a great read and I highly recommend it.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press - Minotaur Books for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest opinion.

The party referred to in the title is a Sweet Sixteen party for Sophie Matthews. The party is being held at her dad and stepmother’s mansion. Sophie’s dad is Ethan Matthews and his new wife is Dani and they have a new baby. Dani is struggling with postpartum depression and has been bothered by strange things happening in the house - objects being moved, perfume in the air, notes being left, etc. Ethan is a psychiatrist and his partner is treating Dani for her depression and anxiety. Both men are writing the strange happenings off as being Dani’s imagination. An Irish nanny, Orlaith, has been hired to help Dani care for the baby. Oh - and let’s not forget that the house has a very creepy history and many people feel it is still haunted. The lavish party lasts all day and apparently no expense was spared for this extravagant event that everyone was invited to. So we meet a whole cast of characters; the main ones, besides those already mentioned, are Kim - Ethan’s first wife and Sophie’s mother, and Mikayla - Sophie’s best friend. The chapters switches between different points of view and some go back in time to fill us in on more backstory of our characters. I thought the book kept up a good pace and I was intrigued how it would end. All in all, I enjoyed the book and thought the writing was well done. I give the book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 1, 2025.

🎉 Party of Liars is a hauntingly gripping read that had me completely hooked from start to finish! Set during Sophie’s 16th birthday bash at her father’s sprawling, hilltop mansion, the excitement quickly turns eerie as guests gather to see the renovated home—infamous for ghost stories about “The Mother,” a chilling presence said to haunt its halls 👻🏰.

What I loved most about this book is its use of multiple POVs—each one from a female character. This structure worked so well considering the central themes: motherhood, sisterhood, betrayal, control, and the quiet fury that can build in women who’ve been overlooked or manipulated for too long. These women are fierce, flawed, and fully realized. 💥💁‍♀️👩‍👧

Some characters you’ll root for, others you’ll side-eye 👀—and a few will leave you completely conflicted. But by the end, after seeing into each of their hearts and minds, you’ll walk away with a deep understanding of why they made the choices they did. The emotional and psychological layers in this story are chef’s kiss 👏✨

And then there’s the suspense… 🩸 Someone ends up dead before the night is over. But who? And why? With every character hiding something, everyone has a motive. Brent masterfully builds tension, keeping you second-guessing until the very end.

Though the timeline centers around just one night, it never drags. If anything, the pacing is razor-sharp—unfolding secrets with perfect timing and keeping those pages flying. 📖⚡

If you love dark, twisty thrillers with layered women, emotional intensity, and a dash of ghostly intrigue… add this one to your TBR ASAP.

What a fun, twisty, amazing thriller from debut author Kelsey Cox!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this, and it exceeded my expectations! So many red herrings, a couple of twists, a crazy party with awful adults and entitled teens.

Wowwwww the gaslighting from Ethan was extreme. You see it throughout the book, but you don’t even know the half of it until the end. Every new thing was insane, and there was one twist involving him I genuinely didn’t see coming.

I flew through this book, I just had to know what happened. I was invested the entire time. I alternated reading versus listening, and the full cast did a wonderful job with the audiobook narration.

🍾 Debut author
🍾 Multiple POV
🍾 “Locked room” murder mystery
🍾 Texas sweet 16
🍾 Full cast narration

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld, and Suzy Jackson did an excellent job with the narration! I appreciated the multi-narrator approach to this multi-POV novel because it made it really easy to keep track of whose POV we were in.

This was a book where no one could be trusted and I could make a case for each character being the villain throughout the book. I loved how the end played out, and I thought it was paced really well. If you’re a thriller fan, check this one out!

It was so engaging on audio, and I didn't guess how it would play out! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that keeps readers guessing until the very end. With a clever blend of drama, deception, and dark secrets, Cox delivers a story that is as entertaining as it is unpredictable. The characters are flawed and intriguing, each with their own hidden agendas, making it impossible to know who to trust. Cox's writing is sharp and immersive, pulling readers into a web of lies where every revelation adds a new layer of suspense. Perfect for fans of twisty mysteries, Party of Liars is a compulsive read that you won't want to put down.

Absolutely gripping.

From the first page to the last, it was impossible to put down. Cox's writing style is engaging and comfortable, it shows you the world you're entering and people you're meeting rather than just telling you everything. The characters are all someone that you could know so it is easy to immerse yourself in the story, and this town and society too read like something the author herself knows well.

This locked-room who-dunnit is told from multiple POVs and keeps you guessing. There was two things that heavily reminded me of other domestic thrillers I've read and I don't say that as a negative, it took me about 75% in to even clock it, it got me even more excited to finish the book!

I would absolutely read this book again and look forward to more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Great debut!
The story had a slow start, but the pacing improved quickly and I couldn’t wait to pick it back up. The short chapters made it a fast, engaging read. I found the setting to be fun and almost over-the-top, but it worked.

I loved the main characters and how they grew throughout the story, despite everything going on around them. There were some pieces of the ending that I didn’t see coming, and it left me satisfied.

I’m so glad that Cox chose to open a new document—don’t miss the author’s note! 🙂 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a widget of this locked-room(mansion?) mystery. Out July 1st!

As Sophie Matthew’s lavish sweet sixteen is at its height, a body falls from the balcony.

I was not expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did, simply because I’m not a huge fan of locked room whodunnits but this book is a lot more than that. It’s multiple POVs but is never confusing. We have multiple people we are unsure of who to trust, and it gets more and more interesting as it goes on and more is revealed. It’s also Big Little Lies style, in the sense that you don’t know who died until the end when it all comes together.

“I hadn’t thought about how a doorway allows people in as easily as it allows the out. I hadn’t thought about what might reach back.”

Party of Liars comes out 7/1.

A sweet sixteen with a bunch of liquor for both the teens and the adults; what could go wrong?

This was a fun read. I liked the multiple points of view and the sense of doubt. Though I don’t necessarily feel we needed Oriath’s point of view, it helped to create doubt for the reader. While I don’t feel this was a thriller, I enjoyed trying to untangle the web. Overall, a fun read.

Party of Liars is an engaging and emotionally nuanced story that explores the complexity of friendships tested by secrets and betrayal. Set against the backdrop of a seemingly perfect birthday party, tension builds as the narrative peels back layers to reveal the hidden truths each character is guarding. The dialogue is sharp and realistic, and the relationships feel authentic. The pacing keeps the stakes high without ever feeling rushed, and the twists land with emotional impact rather than cheap shock value. Although admittedly, I read to enjoy the "whodunit" instead of trying to immediately determine the villain or antagonist!

What really elevates this book is its emotional honesty. The author delves into how lies—even those told with good intentions—can ripple outward and fracture trust. The characters are flawed yet relatable; you’ll find yourself rooting for the ones whose mistakes feel most human, even when they hurt those they care about most. While the conclusion wraps up the main plot threads well, I would have appreciated a slightly deeper dive into the long‑term consequences of their choices. That said, the book ends on a hopeful note, reminding us that repair and growth are possible even after deception.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read to this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

4 stars for this book. I am not familiar with this author but will be looking for more books. You should add this to your TBR!

ARC REVIEW. Publish Date July 1, 2025.

Party of Liars is about Sophie Matthews and her 16th birthday party in a house that is "haunted." When someone is murdered, the whole guest list could be a suspect.

I really wanted to enjoy this but I didn't. I did not care for the characters and the twists are not twists when you see them coming. I also don't understand the whole house is haunted premise since that goes no where.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

DNF. This book is such a slog, and the characters were all so unlikable. Also, the flashbacks were annoying.

This story is told by multiple points of view on the day of Sophie's 16th birthday party and after the party. I truly enjoyed all of the characters and how well the author wrote about each one. You actually start to like or hate the character as the story evolves.

It's Sophie's 16th birthday and her father is throwing the party of the year for her. There is a mix of her friends and adults that are joining in for the festivities and things get really heated up as the drinking continues for hours. The ex-wife is an alcoholic that can't seem to stop drinking and then making a fool of herself and embarrassing Sophie. Sophie's best friend has some of her own secrets that start to unravel throughout the night and you are left slack jawed. The new wife thinks she is crazy with things that are happening to her but is she really or is someone out to get her? Then you have a weird nanny that seems to know things and you are constantly wondering where she is fitting into to this whole saga. Let's not forget about the super dad that threw the party, how great of a dad is he really?

Pick up the book and you will NOT be disappointed. It has an ending that I found to be perfect and loved how the author weaved it all together.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC in response for a honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is a twisty ride from beginning to end. There is quite a cast of characters to keep straight but it’s worth it to see how this drama plays out.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: July 01, 2025

#PartyofLiars #NetGalley

Sophie is celebrating her sixteenth birthday with a massive party thrown by her father and her step-mother at their literal castle on a hill above their small Texas town. Sophie's friends and much of the town have been invited to this ostentatious black-tie affair. But before the night is over, someone will be dead.

Everyone has something they are hiding and so many of the characters are questioning their own recollections that this makes for a truly head spinning story. I love the way the truth was revealed over time and it had me constantly questioning each of the characters. For a brief period of time in the middle it seemed like the story was leaning towards a supernatural explanation for the events, which disappointed me. But the story changed course and the ending was fabulous. It was so hard for me to put this book down. I absolutely had to know how it ended!

*Review to post @anythingnovel goes on June 18*

I am in shock that this is a debut! I went looking to see what other books by Kelsey I could add to my TBR and I was shocked that this is her first and what a first it is! Fast paced, I mean blow your hair back fast paced. A cast of characters who have more secrets than the CIA. The real story is so horrifying, so sickening, that my mind is reeling. I am still sitting with a lump of unease in my stomach and my mouth is still hanging open. Not only are there secrets. There is The Mother. The story that has been stitched into Bulverde, Texas landscape. The enormous mansion that is haunted, left to rot back into the ground. Until an ambitious young couple could see past the haunting story, the destruction the house has become, and could see their dream home. Perched on the hill overlooking the entire town.

Texas does sweet sixteen birthdays unlike anywhere else in the country. They are big, they start early, and the booze for the parents starts flowing early. Making the stories stream out of the guests' mouths. Sophie Matthew's is turning sixteen and she is having her birthday bash at her dad's house. With his new wife Dani and her 9-month-old stepsister. Dani has had a rough go with post-partum and has not seen many since Charlotte was born. Including her husband's ex, Kim. Whose house this was. Sophie is nervous that her mother will end up hammered like she usually does. Kim is going to prove her wrong and stay sober. We shall see what secrets tumble from her lips after she cannot handle being near her ex's new family. The book begins with the reader knowing that something has occurred at the party. But we do not know what. Everyone has their secrets and today is the day to let them be free!

The cast of characters is large; I did not have any issues following who was who. I loved the family drama that is going on. Dani is the main character, and she has had a rough go. Again, we are not given much information to begin with. Kelsey has a way of taking you in and building the story until it comes crashing down around you and the guests. Leaving everyone speechless and in shock. This is one thriller I will be recommending to everyone near and far. It is the perfect summertime read. Thank you to Kelsey Cox and Minotaur Books for this delicious read.

I flew through this book in just 24 hours—it was such a fun and exciting read! The mystery hooked me from the start, especially with the unique twist of not knowing who the dead body is until the very end, even though it’s introduced right away. The tense buildup and multiple POVs added layers of intrigue, with secrets piling up fast. The party setting—a creepy, fancy mansion on a cliff (I think it was on a cliff, right?)—was the perfect backdrop, and the included party invitation was a fun bonus (I used mine as a bookmark!). While the characters were mostly unlikeable and the haunted house subplot didn’t really go anywhere, the story was packed with twists that kept me turning the pages.
I didn’t love the teenage drama or the overdone “crazy drunk female” trope, but despite that, I really enjoyed this one—and the ending definitely delivered.

This was an engaging story with so much going on, so many points of view that developed the full thriller aspect, yet still a quick read...likely because I wanted to figure out what in the heck was going on.

I liked Dani and was annoyed by the way she was treated from the start, which sometimes made this book a bit frustrating. Some of the drama was unnecessary, yes even in a thriller, but didn't bog down the book. The unexpected twists were great, and I was not disappointed by the ending.