Kelsey Cox’s Party of Liars brings all the drama to a sweet sixteen birthday celebration with a cast of teens and adults, complete with secrets, manipulations and a bit of the mystic.

About 2/3rds through the book, I was questioning the preponderance of gendered stereotypes, but then the plot took a (surprising) turn that provided the plot nuances I was wanting. Considering the number of main characters, there is, at times, unexpected depth.

If you are looking for a well written who-done-it, I recommend Party of Liars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I sometimes get lost in audio books, as my mind wanders more than when reading physical books. Not with this intense story though! The storyline was gripping, characters were interesting, overall great and highly recommended.

A lavish, killer party…one you would kill to get invited to.

Who was invited?

Almost everyone in the city adults and children included.

Everyone couldn’t wait to get inside the mansion that supposedly is haunted.

And who got inside are a lot of people who could potentially be a killer.

We exclusively have an ex-wife who hates the current wife, a nanny, who says something evil is in this house, an ex-friend of the current wife, and the best friend of the birthday girl.

And...this nanny has secrets and an agenda of her own and there is Ethan - what a creep.

What happens once the candles get blown out?

Someone falls to their death.

A lot of unlikeable characters in this pull-you-in who done it with malice and jealousy that eeks through almost every character.

And what are Dani the new wife and Mikayla a teenage party guest keeping hidden.

Ms. Cox keeps you in suspense about who fell and who did it until the very jaw-dropping end.

Psychological thriller fans need to add it to your reading list.

I enjoyed this evasive, tense read. And the ending - wow!! 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

This is seriously why I love Minotaur's Samplers! I read the first few pages of Party of Liars in one of their recent samplers and was instantly hooked. A cliffside mansion believe to be haunted, a lavish 16th birthday party, an ex-wife who can't let things go and a nanny who just knows something bad is going to happen.

I loved the 4 pov's in this story - each from the characters that you want to know what they are thinking. The ex wife, the current wife, the nanny and the best friend. Each have their own secrets that get slowly revealed throughout the story. The short chapters & suspense kept the story going & made for a quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. This was my first read by Kelsey Cox, and overall, it was an enjoyable experience. The story pulled me in right from the beginning and kept me intrigued throughout. If you’re a fan of domestic thrillers with a locked-room mystery twist and a luxurious, high-society backdrop, this one might be for you. Expect plenty of twists and a large cast of characters—many of whom will shift in your perception from likable to questionable as the story unfolds. I definitely recommend giving it a try?

**Features:**

- Locked room murder mystery
- Wealthy people behaving badly
- Toxic familial relationships

**Synopsis:**

Sophie’s sweet sixteen party has to be perfect. Held at her father’s and stepmother’s idyllic mansion in Texas Hill County, this fancy event is already poised to be a night to remember. Everything is going according to plan until a body comes crashing down onto the dance floor. But who is the culprit? Sophie, the girl who seems perfect in every way? Mikayla, Sophie’s best friend who struggles to fit in with Sophie’s new, popular circle? A mother still holding a grudge or a stepmother who is struggling to keep it together after the birth of her own daughter? Or is it Órlaith, the elderly nanny who sees death around every corner? This party turned murder mystery will certainly be a night to remember for those who live to tell the tale.

**Thoughts:**

A lavish party that ends in murder? Rich people acting badly? Sign me up! From the very beginning, you can tell that things are quite right for any of the characters. Cox knows how to show just enough to create an undercurrent of tension and let it simmer over time. While not every single reveal in this locked room murder mystery was ‘unpredictable’, I still found it extremely compelling and there were still a few surprises. If you are looking for a story all about reaping what you sow, this might be the one for you too!

This story unfolds through multiple character perspectives. Where the cast of characters is not overwhelmingly large, we are still introduced to a fairly large amount of people in a short period of time. Though it quickly strats focusing more on the central cast of characters whose perspectives we bounce between, there are still quite a few and that might bother some readers. I found each character interesting and well defined but, honestly, I don’t think I ‘liked’ any of them. That didn’t really detract from the story for me since I think that was kind of the point. However, readers who want to feel ‘attached’ to a character or have one to root for might struggle to find that here.

My only major critique of this book is the way the paranormal aspect of it is handled. It is easy to tell from the start that this situation was directly related to the characters and their drama. Though I think it added some good lore and atmosphere, I also don’t think the story would be much different if it was left out completely.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review ‼️
Party of Liars - Kelsey Cox
Thriller / Mystery
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️


🎉💀 Hold onto your party hats, because Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is the psychological thriller that turns every birthday bash into a blood-soaked spectacle! 💀🎉

🎈 Plot Twist at the Sweet Sixteen
Imagine this: Sophie Matthews is celebrating her sixteenth birthday at a lavish, black-tie affair in a cliffside mansion in the Texas Hill Country. The venue? A house with a haunted past. The guest list? A who's who of secrets, lies, and simmering tensions. And just as the candles flicker out, a body plummets from the balcony onto the dance floor below.

🕵️‍♀️ Meet the Guests of Honor
* Dani: The new stepmother, grappling with postpartum psychosis and a fragile sense of self-worth.
* Órlaith: The superstitious Irish nanny, sensing danger in the mansion's shadows.
* Mikayla: The seemingly quiet & shy best friend, harboring her own secrets.
* Kim: The ex-wife with a vendetta, nursing old wounds.
* Curtis: The outsider, observing from the periphery.
Each character is a potential suspect, and Cox masterfully unravels their complexities, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

🧠 Themes That Hit Hard
Cox doesn't just deliver a gripping mystery; she delves deep into themes of motherhood, mental health, and the dark undercurrents of privilege. The narrative is that of gothic horror, psychological tension, and contemporary glitz, all woven together with stunningly.

🔥 Final Verdict
If you're craving a thriller that's equal parts juicy and wretched, with a mystery that's twisty and characters that are as complex as they are captivating, Party of Liars is your next must-read.

Ready to RSVP to this unforgettable party?

Thank you Kelsey Cox, St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for a digital copy of Party of Liars in exchange for an honest review.

#arcreader #arc #reviewer #bookreview #netgalley #thriller #

"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.

It's a killer guest list...

DANI: Sophie's new stepmother who's been plagued by self-doubt ever since the birth of her own baby girl

ÓRLAITH: the superstitious Irish nanny who senses a looming danger in this cavernous house

MIKAYLA: the birthday girl's best friend who is not nearly as meek as the popular kids assume

KIM: the cunning ex-wife who has a grudge she can’t let go of...

Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive."

But, let me be clear, the delicious red velvet cake wasn't damaged boy the falling body was it? Because if there's a good cake then I'm there.

High society, a posh party, lots of secrets… what’s not to love? I really enjoyed digging into this book and trying to figure out everyone’s motives and what was going on. I hope this author continues to write more books like this one!

I ended up getting a physical arc of this book and read it and loved it! Kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. I didn’t want to stop reading and when I did have to take breaks from reading, I found myself thinking about it! Thank you so much NetGalley for my arc!

This book was such a page-turner from the very start. From the atmosphere to the relationship between the friends -- and all the lies they told, I was engaged by the story from the very start. I do think it dragged a bit towards the middle, but overall found the ending to be pretty satisfying and would recommend to any thrillers readers looking for a full and tense read on the beach.

On the night of a posh Sweet Sixteen party, secrets from a high society circle come to light ending in a murder. This book really kept me on the edge of seat and guessing what was really going on until the very end. Cox does a great job of describing the setting, especially all the intricacies of the main ornate house. This book was very hard to put down, as each chapter ended in a cliffhanger and kept me wanting to read on. The pacing was fantastic and I loved the resolution at the end as well. I highly recommend this to readers of other thrillers.

5 Stars! Thank you to St.Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions in this review are my own.

It's Sophie Matthew's sweet sixteen, and everyone in her life has gathered to celebrate. Her stepmom, Dani, her mom, Kim, her best-friend, Mikayla, and the nanny, Orlaith. The party is hosted in her father's mansion, that has a long history of being haunted. At the start of the book, you know something terrible has happened, but not who it has happened to. As the story unfolds, it's told from four different narrators, and you watch as their lives unravel, ultimately leading to a tragedy at the party.

I LOVED this book! It was fast paced, and the different narrators all had distinct voices, and drama, that kept me engaged. It has fancy party vibes, with a ton of personal conflict, so not everything was as it seemed. It really kept me guessing the entire time I read it, and the ending really shocked me. Each narrator has something going on that you slowly learn about through the story, and it leads to a great ending wrapped up in a bow.

Fantastic debut novel from Kelsey Cox. Her writing is in the same vein as Ruth Ware or Lucy Foley thrillers. I will definitely be picking up any more thrillers Kelsey Cox writes!

Loved it - Party of Liars kept me hooked from beginning to end. The characters were complex, the story was intriguing and many points, personally relatable. The looming presence of "The Mother" always made you a little unsure of where the story was headed next and kept you on your toes. And the ending? *chef's kiss*

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Kelsey Cox for this ARC - expected publication date of July 1, 2025.

I'll be looking out for more works by this author!

This was the best thriller ever! The first chapter was so addictive that I read most of this in one sitting! The party vibes were all there, and the secrets were so toxic and unguessable! Love, love, love!

Party of Liars was not what I expected in so many ways. I thought it would be more YA since it’s centered around a Sweet 16 party, but this is definitely not. It also was kind of boring in places for a thriller. However, it was a very quick read. The chapters were short and had me wondering what would happen next. There were several POVs and everyone had secrets, but it wasn’t too confusing to keep track of the storylines. The ending was great, too. I really liked the way it wrapped up and how all the plot holes were addressed!

This was my first book by Kelsey Cox and it did not disappoint. While the plot definitely moves at a slower pace, I believe that is necessary to fully understand the dynamics of all of these intertwined characters. If you don't mind a slow burn thriller that keeps you on your toes, then I would definitely pick up this book. This one will have you questioning all of the characters at one point of another. Do not skip on this one!

Such a slow burn of a book…. The big twist aren’t until the very end and if weren’t for the little “breadcrumbs” of suspicion that was offered throughout the book I would have DNF’ed. This book relies on multiple POVs and which resulted in a lot of plot holes. Also, trigger warning on this book for manipulation and gaslighting; this book could be a manual on those.

Mysterious. Fast paced. Short chapters. Lots of characters. Loved hearing from everyone’s POV. Who is lying? Who is manipulating? What is true? A really great summer thriller, especially if you are in a reading slump and need to get out of it. Fantastic ending that I felt in my bones! It all came together in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kelsey Cox and Minotaur Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a Sweet Sixteen party gone wrong, check out this book immediately. While the book was not overly complex that doesn't take away from it as a whole. It was simple but so good!! I love an easy and fun read, nothing can top a body falling off a balcony onto a dance floor at a sweet sixteen and all the events that follow. The characters are all women who are going through so many things and some are very relatable. I really enjoyed this book and think others will too. Thanks NetGalley.