Haunted house, a murder and a sweet sixteen party all combine for a fun read. I was glad to read this thru NetGalley and enjoyed the authors descriptions of the scenes and all the characters of this book. There are twists and turns and I found myself reading this in one day! . Great debut

I liked it. It took a while for me to differentiate the characters, but once I did, things were more interesting. I liked the Texas Hill Country setting - it added to the story. My only complaint (and it was minor) -- it seemed to drag on a little long. Other than that, this had a twist or two that I didn't see coming and it kept me entertained. For a debut novel, this is pretty good.

Would I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Party of Liars is a gripping thriller that takes a little time to find its footing but ultimately delivers a suspenseful and satisfying ride. At first, the novel can be a bit overwhelming with its large cast of characters and multiple storylines, making it difficult to keep track of who’s who. However, once the pieces start to fall into place, the story takes off, pulling the reader into a web of secrets, deception, and unexpected twists. The real strength of Party of Liars lies in its ability to build tension and keep the reader guessing. Just when I thought I had figured out where the story was going, the book threw in a curveball that completely changed my perspective. The ending was particularly surprising—one of those rare thrillers where the final reveal truly delivers. Beyond the suspense, the novel also has an undercurrent of female empowerment, making it more than just a page-turner. The women in this story are complex, resilient, and determined, adding depth to the plot and making the resolution all the more satisfying. While the beginning was a bit confusing, Party of Liars proved to be a compelling thriller that kept me engaged until the very end. If you enjoy suspenseful stories with strong female leads and a shocking conclusion, this is definitely worth the read!

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Not too much to say about this one, it's honestly a 3.5 star read, but I don't round up on my reviews anymore and just let you all know, this is not a 4 star read, but definitely not a 3 star read. I think parts of this worked really well, and others not so much. For me, I think it would have worked better if you had followed only Dani (current wife) versus Kim (ex-wife). That would have made the book flow so much better throughout and when you get to the reveals and what happened, then you can added in other characters such as Orlaith. I honestly thought the character of Mikayla didn't need to be included as a separate point of view, but Cox did include her and I found it puzzling we did not get a final point of view for her though we did get one for everyone else. I thought that was a hiccup at the end that I wish had been addressed.

"Party of Liars" follows the day before and day of Sophie Matthews's 16th birthday in Texas. The book starts off though with a tale of the home where a "Mother" grieves over the loss of her child almost 100 years ago. And now the Matthews's family that consists of Dani, her husband Ethan, and their daughter Charlotte live there.

Dani is stressed about an "incident" and making sure her stepdaughter Sophie has a great birthday. Kim is angry over a lot of things that occurred in her marriage, but most importantly losing the house that was such a part of her identity.
Orlaith is Dani's nanny and Mikayla is Sophie's childhood best friend. The book follows the three women and teenager through the day of the party. We get interludes here and there to let us know that something "tragic" occurred and the police are investigating. The entire book is just a countdown to whatever this incident was and you wondering who if any of these women and teen could potentially be the victim(s).

As I said above, if the book had just followed Dani and Kim it would have worked better. I think because it jumped so much between the four women and there was a huge Gothic vibe to it (which didn't get fully explored at all) the whole book felt erratic at times. I don't know if Cox wanted this to be a straight thriller or what at times.

The setting of this soulless house of glass just didn't feel very realistic to me though. I just can't imagine a house that is fully glass at one side in Texas. It didn't even sound like something that would make sense in that part of the country. I could see doing something like this in CA though.

I said in one of the updates to this book I thought the ending was very good and I still agree with that. I didn't see the reveals that we got coming at all and I even went back to re-read some things that came before. As I said above though, I wish that we had gotten Mikayla's point of view since we got everyone else's in the end.

I received an advanced copy of this book from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley.

Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday bash is set to be the event of the season, big, Texas-style opulence, black-tie attire, and a cliffside mansion with a scandalous past. But just as she’s about to blow out the candles on her towering red velvet cake, a body takes a dramatic plunge from the balcony, turning the celebration into a crime scene.

What makes this book so engaging is the sheer number of storylines unfolding at once, both among the teens and their parents. With rotating POVs, the narrative balances multiple perspectives without becoming overwhelming, making for a juicy, drama-filled ride. Mikayla, Sophie’s best friend, is particularly relatable as she navigates the treacherous waters of fitting in, obsessive love and angsty teenage drama.

Set over the course of a single, eventful day, the novel masterfully weaves in snippets of the past, dropping breadcrumbs that build toward an explosive conclusion. While the ending is somewhat predictable, there are still plenty of twists that keep readers second-guessing. Hidden identities, buried secrets, and high-stakes drama make this a compelling and binge-worthy read—perfect for those who love a mix of teen and adult thrillers. A glitzy, fast-paced page-turner that’s ideal for kicking off the new year with a dose of scandal.

This book was the perfect blend of mystery and family drama, keeping me engaged without the intensity of a thriller. The story centered around a grand party, with characters whose secrets or mysteries slowly unraveled in a way that kept me thinking critically while still enjoying the narrative. I appreciated how the mystery unfolded with depth and subtle twists rather than shocking suspense. The relationships and dynamics within the family added richness to the plot, making it both thought-provoking and entertaining.

I don't like writing negative reviews, but this one was a miss for me. It wasn't suspenseful, it was predictable, and the overused fear of having a child involved was trite. Somehow the genre felt like it fell somewhere between psychological fiction and YA fiction (because of the teens and their relationships involved), yet I felt it fell short on both genres. I wanted to love this book, but I just didn't. I quit reading when the adult married man was "pursuing" (for lack of a better, non-spoiler word) a 16 year old girl with his hand up her shirt. Yuck, and not okay.

I couldn’t put this book down! What a fantastic murder mystery. Highly recommend. Would read more from this author!

This book seems to have some mixed reviews and I can kind of understand why, but for me, it worked! It was exactly the kind of read I was in the mood for and I do enjoy a good locked room style mystery.

The whole story centered around a family in their big, fancy, expensive house, getting ready to celebrate their daughters sweet sixteen birthday party. It seems that pretty much the entire town is invited and by the end of the party, somebody has died. But how?

There is a cast of characters and all of them are suspicious. There is the husband/Dad of the birthday girl, his new wife and their new baby (of course she has some post partum depression and everyone thinks she's crazy...a trope that's overdone in my opinion). There's the birthday girl herself and her annoying friends, including her childhood best friend who is shy and awkward and doesn't quite fit in the rest of the group. The ex-wife is there as well (who is the mother of the birthday girl) and she has a bit of a drinking problem herself. There's also the older Irish nanny who seems to know a little bit too much about everything. Not to mention, the rumors throughout the whole town that the house itself is haunted.

I had a variety of theories while reading and it turns out, I was only partially right about the ending. So the twist did get me a little bit, which I loved! The book was the right amount of creepy and was very entertaining. The plot itself was very fast paced and overall, it was a good read for me!

I cannot say a whole lot about this book without giving anything away, but let’s just say it’s a mystery, only you won’t find out who was actually killed until near the end. With a very unique cast of characters, each with something to hide from various walks of life, various ages, and each with an issue or two of their own, the author did a very good job of distinguishing them one from the other. I enjoyed the book and would recommend this author to others. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

Thank you, Netgalley, for another read. I would like to preface my review by stating that while the story is intriguing, there are way too many curse words in the book and using Jesus's name in vain for my liking, I would prefer if books used cleaner language. However, this does not affect the plotline. This book has some dark scenes and twists that I was not expecting. There were some inappropriate scenes that I was uncomfortable with. I only finished the book because I wanted to know what happened. The mystery is what makes this book interesting and hard to put down.

Party of Liars kicks off with a lavish Sweet 16 party at a Texas mansion—one with a chilling history. The house was once home to a woman who lost her child and later took her own life, and local whispers claim it still belongs to “The Mother.” I love a setting with a haunting past, so I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this book.

The characters stood out to me because they felt authentic—flawed and complex, just like real people. The pacing was excellent, and the mystery kept me flipping pages as fast as I could. While I enjoyed the ending, I found myself wanting more insight into the nanny’s past and how she connected to the house’s eerie history.

Overall, Party of Liars delivered a gripping, fast-paced mystery with compelling characters and an atmosphere that kept me hooked!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the advance copy. I wasn't familiar with the author but the premise was interesting. Party of Liars turned out to be unputdownable. Three women and two sixteen year olds recall, in alternating chapters, events leading up to, during and just after an elaborate sweet sixteen celebration. Set in a spectacularly renovated cliffside mansion, there is, from the start, an ominous tone to the telling. Cox's writing is crisp and on point. The characters mostly ring true (some characters imbibe more than seems humanly possible) and I am still trying to decide if the ending, a one-two punch, was one I anticipated or whether I was skillfully led astray.

When she said killer guest list that is what she meant!! Love it! First time reading this author and really enjoyed it.

**★★★☆☆ | Glitzy, Dramatic, but a Bit Overcooked**

This book had all the makings of a fun, fast-paced mystery—Texas-sized wealth, an opulent Sweet Sixteen, and a good old-fashioned locked-room whodunnit. The setting was atmospheric, with the renovated cliffside mansion adding a nice eerie touch, and the drama kicked off in spectacular fashion with a body dropping onto the dance floor.

That said, while the premise hooked me, the execution didn’t quite stick the landing. The twists were plentiful but sometimes felt more for shock value than actual payoff, and some characters were more caricature than compelling. The pacing sagged in places, and by the end, I wasn’t as invested in the reveal as I wanted to be.

It’s an entertaining read if you’re in the mood for something flashy and dramatic, but don’t expect to be blown away.

I found some of the characters annoying and so that took me out of the book and was a reason that I only rated this book four stars and not five stars.

This book sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I don’t mind not liking any of the characters in a book, but these characters were tough to read through. How they were written just didn’t catch my attention and I didn’t care for them. The ending was not exciting and not climatic. I wanted more mystery and less drama. Thank you NetGalley for this digital arc.

While this was a fun read, it was a typical rich people whodunit that was easy to figure out about 1/3 of the way through. It is a fun summer mystery read so try not to think about it too much as you're reading and you'll enjoy it too.

PARTY OF LIARS is set in the hill country outside of San Antonio. I loved the references of all the places I knew from having lived there ☺️

It was full of rich people drama and LOTS of gaslighting (🤢👎🏻.) The multiple POVs did make it a little hard to follow at first, but it was a bingeable read. Unfortunately, bc of the gaslighting it wasn’t a total win for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the arc 🍾

Another decent beach read with some odd characters. A bit formulaic and the plot(s) have been used in many other books.