This was a really great read!

I genuinely wasn’t sure how it was going to end until it ended, and I loved the multi POV, closed door mystery!

I would venture to say that fans of Lucy Foley would also really like this book!

Thank you to the author and St Martin’s Press / Minotaur for my advance copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This was a pretty quick and fairly entertaining book but, if you read a lot of books of this genre (as I do), it felt very familiar. Its a sweet 16 party where all the adults and teens are hiding something and someone ends up dead (but we won't find out who until the end). Since you've been here before, you'll likely foresee many of the twists although the author does her best to mislead you along the way. There were a couple of surprises and the mansion on the hill in the TX suburbs was an interesting setting.

Party of Liars is a great look at the intricate lives of one family. Kelsey does a great jobs of showing POV's from various characters across all age and wealth demographic to really look at this group of people.

I love a story like this, where the present is happening in one place over a night or day, the birthday party. Then the rest of the story is a look at each character involved over the years/weeks/months leading up to. This gives the reader a really good look at the relationships between characters and helps a mystery build. And wow did the mystery and characters build! I thought I knew who everyone was and what would happen, I had various theories and I was wrong.

I enjoyed this story and the vast characters introduced.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DI_x5wNAqhd/?igsh=MXR3OHQ3MzM0ZW84eg==

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is an engaging, twisty read full of secrets, betrayals, and morally gray characters. Cox builds a strong atmosphere of tension and suspicion, keeping the story moving with clever plotting. While some twists felt predictable and a few characters could have used more depth, the overall payoff was satisfying. It’s not a new favorite, but definitely an entertaining pick for readers who enjoy stories where no one can be fully trusted.

Party of Liars - I started this book three times and wasn't sure if I wanted to read mainly because of the ghost part. However, the book ends up being really, really good, Its a slow pace as the story builds. Sophie is having her sweet 16 thrown by her Dad and Stepmom, Dani. Her mom, Kim is there too along with the new nanny for her baby sister. Mikalayla the best friend of Sophie is there too for the party. You really don't know what the truth is through the book and who is the good or bad person. The liars are everywhere and the agenda is hidden for most. You wonder if Dani really had a break down and if the mother really is a ghost that everyone is seeing. Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Party of Liars.

DNF @ 40%. Will not leave review on social media platforms.

Too many unlikeable narrators and very slow pace.

This book was twisty and an absolute roller coaster ride! I loved everything about this book and just found a new author to start collecting!

I really enjoyed this book. The main plus points were the multiple POVs, flashbacks, the twists and turns and all the mysterious elements. This is exactly my cup of tea. It's very hard to come by these types of domestic thrillers in the plethora of so called "thrillers" these days.

A Sweet 16 to die for? Unfortunately that's the case for one of the guest at Sophie's Sweet 16 party. A party with a wide variety of guest ranging from young to old and wealthy to not so wealthy, everyone seems like a candidate. The party is present time, with different POVs mixed in leading up to the big night. Everyone is a suspect and has their reasonings. Ending definitely came as a shock, as I was not expecting that! Good and entertaining read, the party did seem like it dragged on for ages instead of being a one night event.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Kelsey Cox for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for Party of Liars is July 1, 2025.

What an exhilarating, nail-biting, jaw-dropping, eye-popping, heart-throbbing ride! This book grabbed me by the collar from the very first chapter and never let go. I screamed, I jumped, I clutched the covers—and I loved every second of it. It was everything I crave in a thriller and more! If you’re a fan of single-location, one-night disasters unraveling in real-time, buckle up because this one delivers all the drama, tension, and shocking twists your heart can handle.

The premise is both simple and brilliant: a sweet sixteen party turns into an absolute nightmare when a body falls from the balcony onto the glowing dance floor below. It’s young Sophie Matthews’s big night—but it’s quickly branded as “bloody hell sixteen.” And from there, we’re launched into a dark, twisty, high-stakes game of secrets, lies, and emotional landmines.

What makes this thriller stand out is its incredible cast of complex women, all battling personal demons, carrying guilt, and hiding explosive secrets. You don’t just read this book—you invest in it. You feel the tension in your chest, you question everyone, and you’re constantly torn between suspicion and empathy.

Let’s start with Dani, Ethan Matthews’s much-younger second wife. She’s 27, sweet, struggling, and completely overwhelmed by her new life as a wife, a mother, and a would-be baking influencer. She’s postponed her dreams of opening a bakery and instead tries to make it work on social media. But she’s clearly not okay. Dani is drowning under the weight of postpartum depression, paranoia, and unsettling occurrences around their eerie, supposedly haunted house. Is someone threatening her? Is she imagining things? Or is the ghost of a grieving mother truly haunting the property?

Then we have Kim, the ex-wife—a broken woman crumbling under the pressure of past mistakes. She’s lost her veterinary license, turned to alcohol, and become a pariah in her community. She’s full of regret, bitterness, and barely disguised rage. Her connection to the family is messy, emotional, and dangerous. Could her downward spiral have reached a breaking point at the party?

Mikayla is Sophie’s best friend, a seemingly sweet small-town girl whose life changed drastically after joining Sophie’s glamorous world. But she’s not just the innocent sidekick—she’s got skeletons of her own, secrets that could shatter everything. The pressure is mounting, and she might just snap under it.

And let’s not forget Orlaith, the enigmatic Irish nanny. She's unsettling from the get-go, obsessed with death stories, immersed in superstition, and convinced she’s being followed by a spirit. She watches the Matthews family like a hawk, but what exactly is she protecting them from—or leading them toward?

The structure of the book is masterful, with flashbacks timed perfectly to build suspense and reveal the full picture of who these women are—and who they used to be. Every new chapter felt like peeling another layer off an already complicated web of relationships and betrayals. The tension is suffocating in the best way. You’re constantly shifting loyalties, rethinking motives, and trying to get ahead of the twists—only to be wrong again.

The writing is electric, the pacing relentless, and the emotional stakes sky-high. Just when I thought I had a handle on the story, another curveball came flying. I didn’t know who to trust. I didn’t know who was capable of murder. And I couldn’t stop reading.

By the end, my heart was pounding and my jaw was on the floor. This is the kind of thriller that sticks with you—the characters, the emotions, the themes of motherhood, regret, mental health, and redemption. It’s not just a mystery, it’s a deeply human story dressed in suspense, and that’s what made it so powerful.

✨ Five massive stars for this unforgettable ride! It's gripping, gorgeously written, full of empathy and edge. If you love psychological thrillers with complex women, haunting pasts, and devastating secrets—you’re in for a treat.

I can’t wait to devour more from this author. This is hands-down one of my favorite thrillers of the year.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this addictive, utterly unputdownable thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kelsey Cox, and St. Martin's Press for this e- ARC.

This was such an amazing read! There's nothing better than a book full of secrets that keeps you guessing right up til the end.

Each of the characters have their own sordid secret and you have to get through the whole book before finding out most of them. The writing was so suspenseful and intriguing though, so I didn't mind one bit that nothing was revealed til the end or close to it.

I'd definitely recommend this book to friends.

MY JAW IS ON THE FLOOR!!!! THAT WAS FREAKING SPECTACULAR!!!!! 🤩 The BEST thriller I’ve read since None of This is True. If you love Liane Moriarty, Gillian Flynn, Lisa Jewel, Lucy Foley you will LOVE Kelsey Cox!!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!!

I just devoured this book!!!! The characters are fantastic the story was gripping the ending gave me literal chills!!! Just absolutely one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read!!!

Bonus: The audiobook is so great!! All the narrators do such an amazing job!!

Secrets don’t stay buried, especially not in Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox. Set in a jaw-dropping mansion on a Texas cliff, this thriller pulls you into a world of secrets, jealousy, and murder. From jealous exes to a too-perfect family and a nanny who sees more than she should. Everyone has something to hide.

Think Big Little Lies meets Pretty Little Liars. With twists at every corner, this book will have you questioning who’s guilty, who’s innocent, and who’s playing you the whole time.

This was such a fun read and honestly, I kept thinking that somehow the book title just didn't do it justice. Even though almost the entire book was set during this monstrosity of a party, all the thrilling parts were so great that somehow the title itself (for lack of better words) cheapened it a bit. Because the author did a brilliant job with layers of thrilling moments and impressive inner thoughts that made this such a great read. This kept me interested and invested, and the writing was very well done. I really enjoyed this as it checked almost every box for a mystery/thriller.

Mind you, some parts could have been left out, but it being a debut, bravo to the author! I've always been attracted to the trope of Is-The-House-The-Villain, adding in some sort of evil entity, or is it the trope of It's-All-In-Your-Head. The eerie looming haunt of The Mother was sprinkled throughout, yet I didn't get the full blown effect of it that I craved whenever that part was brought up. But all in all, with the eventual reveal, I got the gist of what the author tried to tie in. But this was great, a fun and gripping read for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the beginning and ending of this book but found the middle so drawn out, the party seemed endless. The setting in the Hill Country of Texas, was original, and thought the author did a good job capturing the essence of Texas society. The ending twist was fitting and somewhat of a surprise to me.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy to read and review.

Party of Liars is a very fast-paced thriller that will leave you guessing till the very end. This book follows several people throughout a sweet sixteen party that ends in tragedy. This book was very easy to read and had me hooked from the very beginning. The chapters were short and it made you feel like you were flying through the pages. Highly recommend to anyone looking for something a little different when it comes to thrillers and who want an ending that they definitely don't see coming.

PARTY OF LIARS, in a few words, is a story about a 16th birthday girl party that goes wrong and someone ends up dead by the end of the party.
We start the book knowing that someone was murdered but we don't know whose body is and who done it. We follow multiple POVs and a mixed timeline that jumps from a few days before the party to the actual night of the party.
It's a cast full of unlikable characters (not in the 'bad' way, I'd say) and the author takes their time trying to give each character a different personality and development required, but Kalsey Cox do not succeed all the time, in my opinion.

This is a very slow-paced story. The day of the party actually seems to last 36 hours, due to so much happening, so many dialogues and we, the readers, go back and forth over and over again. It's an endless night, really. And, in my opinion, it doesn't pay off when we know what was going on and what lead to the crime, or who actually dies - which can be very predictable for mostly experienced mystery readers.
I appreciate, honestly, what the author was trying to achieve here - especially by throwing at us the lore that the mansion (where the murder/party takes place) is haunted. But in the end...everything's full of clichés and predictable and sooooo slow.
Usually I don't mind slow pacing books. Unless I relate and care for the characters, which did not happen here. Luckily, I love multiple POVs in mystery/thrillers stories, so I wasn't bored all the time.

I'd probably recommend this book to readers who are less experienced in reading mystery novels. They might benefit from this one. And to readers who absolutely do not mind a very slow pacing murder story.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The last third of this book was really great! I did like the beginning and middle with their building up the complexity of some of the characters but I felt a little confused and frustrated by allusions to events that had happened but weren’t explained until much later on. Even though keeping the details secret was almost necessary for the twists at the end, I do wish there was a little more exposition earlier on to grab my attention in a way that felt more like the reveal.

I did appreciate how this book dealt with difficult themes of alcoholism, gaslighting, and all the various types of mistakes people can make.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm conflicted about this one. The middle was pretty boring, but the beginning and end were great. I figured out most of it as soon as I started it, but the last twist admittedly surprised me. None of the main characters were really likable through most of the book, but I was glad to see the right people got the right ending. Overall, I liked the writing and the plot, it just could've been done differently.

Title: Party of Liars
Author: Kelsey Cox
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press- Minotaur Press
Genre: Domestic, Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: July 1, 2025
My Rating: 4.3 Stars!
Pages: 336

Sophie Matthews is turning sixteen and her father Ethan a Psychiatrist is planning a lavish, Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen black-tie party at his gigantic mansion located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, perched on top of a hill overlooking the city.
The party goers are excited as everyone has wanted to see the renovations that have been done. The mansion is known for spooky tales of “The mother” who haunts the place as she is grieving the loss of her baby nearly 100 years ago.
But before Sophie blows out the birthday candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake, a body falls from the balcony onto the dance floor below.

Story is told before and after ‘The’ party and is told from the POV of many characters ~~
Dani: Sophie’s new young stepmother who is an Insta-influencer and has a six- month old baby girl Charlotte. Dani has had some issues that we slowly find out about.
Kim: is the jealous ex-wife who is Vet and was married to Ethan while the renovations were taking place~ Now is a bitter, foul mouth unlikeable drunk.
Mikayla: Sophie’s best friend who is not a cheerleader and doesn’t hang out with ‘cool Kids.
Órlaith: Is Charlotte’s Irish Nanny and is very superstitious.

Story is told before and after ‘The’ party. There are several storylines, regarding both the teens and the adults. We know that someone falls from the balcony onto the dance floor below.
There is so much drinking going on as the party started in the middle of the afternoon. It is surprising only one fell!
Everyone had too much to drink. The teens were served nonalcoholic beverages but we all know teens will be teens when it comes to drinking at a party.
I mentioned Kim was unlikeable however, she certainty wasn’t alone.

I wasn’t sure where this story was going but I did like the ending!

About the Author, Kelsey Cox-Received her MFA in fiction from Purdue University and works from home in the Texas Hill Country. You can often find her writing at Mammen Family Public Library, chasing around her two young daughters. If bedtime goes as planned, she enjoys curling up on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, and a book with complicated characters and a killer twist in her lap.

She tells us in her ‘Acknowledgements’ that she was ready to give up writing- with two small children and teaching at two universities she didn’t have time to shower let alone write. However, the idea for this story came too her when she was on the floor on her hands and knees scooping up peas (remember she has two little daughters) it seems when those peas fell – she opened up a new document!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 1, 2025.