Thanks to the Netgalley and publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

Once upon a time, a German man built a lavish and grand mansion to impress her love. They got married there and were living happily after. A tragedy sabotaged everything and the mansion was declared to be haunted and no one lived in there.

Ethan Mathew doesn’t care about this kind of lore and buys it to upgrade it to modern standards. He is throwing a grand sweet sixteen birthday bash for Sophie, her daughter, in here. Everyone is interested in seeing this historical and haunted mansion from the inside. However, the party quickly turned into a psychological thriller. Stories with several POVs are my favorite, it is really fun to live inside the brains of several characters. Dani, the second wife of Ethan is suffering from self-doubt after giving birth to Charlotte and is in therapy with Ethan’s best friend. Kim, ex-wife, hates Ethan and Dani for being happy while her life is not what it used to be. Sophie, who is on good terms with everyone and more than excited to have her grand birthday party sees the regret on her ex’s face. Mikayla, Sophie’s best friend since childhood is considered her daughter equally as Sophie. Orlaith, a creepy nanny of Charlotte.

Most of the characters made me angry or creep me out but at the back of my head I was expecting some twists and turns and exactly that happened. Starting instantly grabbed my attention and the ending was also a little unexpected if not mind-blowing. The problem was the pace and middle of the book. The pacing felt sluggish and dragged too long before any real action took place. Several useless details kept making me distracted. It seems like after one point, characters were spiraling in the same thing and the story was not going anywhere. The vibes of the book were unsettling which might be a good thing as it aligned with the inner motives of the characters. The thing that annoyed me the most was that it took almost an entire book to learn who was murdered. The ending has several loose ends. I expected some intense mystery, and mind-blowing twists and turns but it was more of a really slow-paced psychological thriller. The story had potential but so many characters and slow pace didn’t help it.

WOW! What a ride! The story starts a bit slowly, but when it gets going it's non-stop. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you find that your suspicion was wrong. So, the speculation starts again.
There's one particular twist you won't see coming and will leave you wondering. And, that's not the big twist.
The ending is the big twist and is totally unexpected. But it certainly ties up loose ends.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers.
Thank you to #NetGalley#KlseyCox#St.Martin'sPress for an ARC of #PartyOfLiars

I really liked the beginning and I really liked the end, but my goodness, the middle was a long, drawn-out overdone experience... I was actually contemplating The DNF for this one, but a bunch of reviews talked about the great ending and so I hung in there and skimmed. I'm glad I did because I really liked the way it all came together in the end, but it's a book full of unlikable people who do unlikable things, and at some point the descriptions of them started to wear me down. Stick with this one, though, because the ending is worth it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (3.5 stars rounded up)

A lavish sweet sixteen at a newly renovated and probably haunted house. Texas drawls. Big hair and big glasses of wine. A new, young wife and mother. A jilted ex-wife. Teenage drama. A very suspicious nanny. A murder. *Stefan voice* This book has everything.

This book is a wild ride. I loved the shifted perspectives and the way sections picked up pace to propel the story forward. The unfolding of this story was a blast, trying to figure out who knows what and when.

As a newly post-partym mom myself, there is enough talk of postpartum depression and escalating intrusive thoughts that it was at times fairly distressing so I’ll caution readers who may be sensitive to that to proceed with caution.

The only reason this isn’t a four star review is because this book feels very long. It dragged for me, particularly in the middle.

I think it’s worth muscling through though, because my jaw DROPPED at the twist. Kelsey Cox uses tension and audience expectations so effectively to set up storylines, red herrings, and twists that left me very satisfied at the end of this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I was invited to read this debut novel and obtained an ARC through NetGalley.

This is an unusual book. It centers around a girl’s extravagant 16th birthday party, held at a mansion, the home of his father and a new wife. Numerous characters are introduced and developed throughout the book. Teenagers, friends of the wife and ex-wife, work colleagues, the nanny.

You have a sense that something bad is about to happen. You don’t know who the victim will be. You don’t know if there is a murderer and/or perpetrator. There are many candidates. But you need to wait a l-o-n-g time for things to actually happen.

The book was intriguing. The characters were almost all totally unlikable, surely by the author’s design. Though entertaining, I admit to become impatient waiting for the main event, hinted at
throughout the book, to occur.

This book absolutely floored me. It’s hands down my favorite read of the year so far. Kelsey Cox’s writing is not only beautiful but also incredibly immersive—I felt like I got to know every character on such a deep level. The atmosphere was chilling, and I truly felt like I was inside the house, experiencing every eerie moment alongside the characters. The way she wove the story together, keeping both the victim and the perpetrator a mystery until the very end, takes serious talent. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the twists completely caught me off guard. It’s definitely in the same vein as Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier—I could feel the creepiness of the beautiful mansion—and I loved every second of this immersive reading experience. I will absolutely read whatever she writes in the future!

While this book was a quick, I got bored because you didn’t know who was going to die. Pretty early on I figured what was going on and just wanted to know who would die.

Usually birthday thrillers arent my thing but watching Sophie's super fancy party get crazy was entertaining. I tend to read a lot of locked room mysteries and this was high up there. I didnt catch who the killer was till close to the end.

Kelsey Cox delivers a thrilling and addictive read with Party of Liars, a novel filled with secrets, deception, and jaw-dropping twists. From the very first page. The author masterfully builds suspense, keeping me on edge as the tangled web of lies unravels.

What makes Party of Liars stand out is its perfect blend of psychological intrigue and fast-paced storytelling. It's the kind of book that keeps you flipping pages late into the night, eager to uncover the next revelation.

This is a must-read for thriller fans who love suspense, secrets, and unexpected twists!

🪩 What’s it about?
The book takes place at Sophie’s Sweet 16 birthday party. It’s a lavish, Texas sized party at a beautiful, historic mansion with an eery past. The story is told from four POVs: Dani, Sophie’s new step-mom. Kim, Sophie’s biological mom. Orlaith, the nanny. And Mikayla, Sophie’s best friend.

🪩 What did I think?
WOW, this was a good story! I loved the multiple POVs and thought each character was well developed and realistic. The pace of this book was steady and I really enjoyed that the story all took place in one setting on practically one day (minus backstory explanations). From the summary, you know that someone is going to die. I assumed that it would happen first and then the whole book would unfold after that. So I was pleasantly surprised that it was the reverse. It was a unique take. I didn’t fully see the twists or character paths coming. I loved the descriptions of the house and the guests. I can tell the author took her time mapping out this story. My critiques would only be that at some points, some of the backstories felt unnecessary and just like added fluff. Also, I could see some readers getting bored and thinking the “meat” of the story took too long to unfold.

🪩Should you read it?
Yes, four stars for me is a GREAT rating! I really enjoyed the pacing of the book and the four POVs the story is told from. I haven’t read a story that has this plot either!

An impressive debut! I really enjoyed this murder mystery set at a lavish sweet sixteen party in an allegedly haunted house. Can't wait for Kelsey Cox's next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

A sweet sixteen, an allegedly haunted house, and the tense dynamics of everyone acting like this is all normal.

I enjoyed this story immensely and found the voices of the adults and teenagers both believable and distinctive. A few parts were predictable but overall I found this to be a great cozy read set in the gorgeous Hill Country of Texas.


Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

2.5 ⭐
This book centered around a giant sweet sixteen for Sophie that was really more about her father showing off his enormous and lavish house. There were elements of the paranormal but they didn't really turn into anything, so that may have been a misdirection but it fell flat. The characters were okay, I didn't really connect with them too much. I do feel like the book did a major disservice to Mikayla by not having her story conclude besides saying "she's healing" despite almost no one knowing what happened to her and her not receiving any help. It was a quick read but I felt let down at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Kelsey Cox, and Minotaur Books for my advance copy of this book.

If you're looking for a quick, bingeworthy summer thriller, then this is a great choice!

This story spans across the events of one evening during the extravagant birthday party of 16 year old Sophia Matthews. There are plenty of people on the guest list ranging from Sophie’s parents, her young stepmother and new baby sister, the baby’s nanny, her best friend, and others from school. However as the party goes on, a body is found.

Firstly, I did enjoy how this story was told from four different perspectives: Dani the stepmother and new wife, Kim the mother and ex-wife, Orlaith the nanny, and Mikayla the best friend. We got the young teenager to the adults to the older and wiser woman so they did each make for a different voice. This was also very fast paced as the chapters were quick so it constantly kept my interest because you were constantly learning about past and current grievances and feelings and how that may have contributed to the disastrous events of the party.

I did have some minor issues with the big, one being that at times I did feel like there were TOO many characters and names mentioned that it was difficult to keep up. It was also brought up at the very beginning and at certain points in the book about how the cliffside house was haunted, however I felt like that aspect was underutilized and I never really got much from it. Another small thing was that there seemed to be a lot of jumps in timeline within the chapters themselves which sometimes made it confusing to recall what had already happened vs what was currently happening.

This story did also play a bit on the unreliable narrator/ the unhinged woman trope which isn’t always my favorite and can lead to somewhat predictable conclusions. There were a couple of shocking revelations that I did not see coming, though other parts were pretty par for the course.

Overall I wasn’t wowed by this thriller, but did find it entertaining enough and easy to read and would recommend for when you just need to quell that thriller urge!

3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released July 1, 2025.

I was really excited to read this one. From the description I thought it was going to be more of a murder mystery/Clue/whodunit at the party type of book. Instead it was more like a what’s really going on here and pretty much every character is quite horrible type of book. Plus a little dash of a ghost story in it as well. I was pretty intrigued at the beginning and the writing is great, but honestly at about halfway I started to lose interest. There was not a lot happening and it became a bit repetitive. I did really enjoy the ending though. Overall I liked Party of Liars and it was enjoyable but I didn’t love it.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader of Party of Liars. I greatly enjoyed reading this and thought the ending was unexpected! Lots of fun twists and turns and great characters to get to know. I would definitely recommend this/read other novels by this author.

Party of Liars is a captivating thriller that involves a group of people with secrets, a haunted house, and a sweet sixteen party. This is a fun and suspenseful story. There were teen and adult dramas. So many secrets. Hidden identities-no one was who they seemed to be. This book was compelling and full of twists and turns that leaves the reader uncertain as to who is the narrator and that question gets even harder to answer as the story unfolds.

I am an absolute sucker for thrillers about affluent people behaving abominably. This book fits the bill and then some. It was full of unexpected turns, which is difficult to manage when we are all so familiar with the typical thriller tropes. It kept me completely engaged. The atmospheric setting, reminiscent of classic haunted house mysteries, is a key element and adds a compelling layer to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow. I believe this is Kelseys debut novel? Amazing thriller. It is a bit cheeky, I enjoyed the characters and learning about them, and slowly putting the pieces together. Great novel about how women can be manipulated.

My Thoughts

Encompassing past, present and in between the story builds on itself using a different narrators point of view for each chapter.

What seems to be unrelated events in the books beginning take on a different meaning when their plot lines start connecting.

Partly told through the eyes of adults and partly through the point of view from the teen characters readers get to experience both perspectives simultaneously.

What makes this story interesting to me is the fact that it takes place over the course of a day but also has bits and pieces of information about past experiences that tie in to what happens during Sophie Matthews birthday bash.

Building on itself one clue at a time even if you think you have figured out what will happen next don’t be surprised when it turns out to be something unexpected.

A page turner that has many facets to it which I thought were well established and added much needed depth all the way through the book from beginning to end.

Whether one likes it or not lying takes place daily in our relationships, this story just took it to the next level.

[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.