I really enjoyed this book! Such a fun story for a debut author! I enjoyed all the characters and the different POV!. Will definitely be reccomending to my followers!

What I enjoyed most about Party of Liars was the mansion itself adding an eerie atmosphere, with its haunted history and gothic elements enhancing the story's mood. While the pacing allows for deep character building, some readers may find the buildup slow. However, the payoff is a satisfying and topped off with an unpredictable conclusion! I’d recommend this book to readers looking for a slow-burn, character-driven mysterious read.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is a very highly recommended character-driven psychological thriller full of twists. This one is unpredictable. You will try to piece all the clues together but you won't be able to guess where the plot is going. Well played Kelsey Cox, this is a superb debut.

Sophie Matthews is being thrown a Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen party at the luxurious restored Victorian mansion where her father Ethan and his second wife Dani live in the small Texas town of Bulverde. The party is going to be a huge event and everyone attending is excited to see the inside of the renovated mansion, especially because it is rumored to be haunted. We know from the opening that someone falls to their death from a balcony the night of the party. But who was it?

The characters are important in this psychological thriller. Four characters, Dani, Orlaith, Mikayla, and Kim are narrators in alternating chapters.
Dani is Ethan's 27-year-old second wife and mother to 5-month-old Charlotte. Her dream is to open a bakery. She has struggled with paranoia and then postpartum depression. Someone is watching and threatening her.
Orlaith is the Irish nanny in her sixties. She has many dark, depressing stories to share and is superstitious. Her trustworthiness is suspect.
Mikayla has been Sophie's best friend since they were very young. As the story continues it becomes clear that she has secrets of her own.
Kim is the mother of Sophie and Ethan's first wife. She is the one who worked on renovations of the mansion. Now she's an alcoholic, anger, bitter, and holding a grudge.

Other notable characters included in the narrative include: Ethan, a psychiatrist, father to Sophie, husband to Dani, ex-husband to Kim, and the host of the party. Spohie is the birthday girl. She is a cheerleader and her ex-boyfriend is Mason. Curtis is Ethan's partner and Dani's psychiatrist. Gemma is the wife of Curtis. There are numerous other characters, townspeople, and teens, mentioned too.

The writing is pitch-perfect, the twists and surprising revelations abound, and Party of Liars held my complete attention throughout. The plot unfolds in three parts, Before the Party, The Night of the Party (the longest section), and After the Party. As you closely follow the four narrators relating their experiences and thoughts, suspicions bound and the tension rises. The plot is set up as a locked-room whodunnit, but on a Texas sized scale with a gothic ghost story influence. Even though most of the action is during one night, the pace moved quickly because so much was going on and so many clues were dropped.

All of the characters are fully realized, complex individuals who are realistically portrayed with both strengths and weaknesses. They are so well-written and portrayed that you'll swear you know some of these people or met them before. While reading you will alternately sympathize with them, question their sanity, be suspicious, actively dislike them, and care deeply. They all seem to be lying about something. The ending completely surprised me.

Party of Liars is an excellent choice if you enjoy complex character-driven psychological thrillers. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

WOW!! I was on the edge of my seat and also pacing the house with this novel!! This cast of characters was so well thought out, so well connected, and SO unlikable…well, some of them! Everytime I turned a page, I had a new theory, a new potential suspect, and a different potential victim….I was wrong, so wrong.

This was such a refreshing thriller -the tangled web was weaved and the reader is in for a treat!

Did not read. Have way too many books on my shelf - need to cut back. Hoping to get to it in the future though.

Party of Liars was one of my most reads and a really enjoyable one. Set in the Hill Country of Texas, I was transported to one of my favorite places and like everything else that is bigger in Texas, so were the bold personalities and the lavish sweet sixteen party turned deadly that is the setting of this locked room thriller.

The story takes place during a sweet sixteen party at a house that feels a bit cursed and where everyone is keeping secrets. Told through multiple time periods and POV’s this thriller has many layers and trying to excavate through all of them was a tremendous amount of fun. A fractured blended family, teens and adults, employees and friends, the relationships are tangled and toxic and I love when the wealthy misbehave. It’s hard to know who to root for here, as the author does a good job of letting each character seem both a potential victim and villain for the first half of the book. It did eventually become fairly obvious who the victim would be, but this one was so much fun I just didn’t care. I think this one would be the perfect summer beach read. Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaur books.

🎂 F R E A K Y F R I D A Y review 🎂 featuring “Party of Liars” by Kelsey Cox!

Sophie Matthews is celebrating her big Sweet 16 and her father has gone all out to make the party as extravagant as possible. Hosted at his newly renovated cliffside mansion (that is rumoured to be haunted), this will be one party that no one will ever forget 🫣!

Just as Sophie is about to blow out her birthday candles, a body falls from the balcony onto the dance floor. Every person on the guest list becomes a suspect and soon it becomes obvious that this is a party full of LIARS!

After reading several raving reviews about this book, I was excited to dive in and join the party! The hype is real and I really enjoyed the classic whodunit mystery with a twist of gothic horror and psychological suspense! The guest list is full of unreliable characters who all have hidden agendas and explosive secrets of their own. Get the popcorn out and hold on tight as you navigate all the drama and curveballs being thrown at you!

Thank you kindly to @kelseycoxwriter @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on July 1, 2025!

I really liked this book and had a hard time putting it down. It grabbed me right from the starts. Even though it was told from multiple viewpoints, it was easy to follow. The ending left me satisfied. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a really excellent book. I’ll admit it, I went into this one with expectations. I’m not usually a fan of the whole rich-people-doing-bad-things trope because, honestly, it’s gotten a little overused. BUT… this one ended up being different. At first, I had to switch off with another book because most of the characters were just icky people. The only ones I really liked were Sophie and Dani. Sophie kind of reminded me of the daughter on Landman (I love her character) and Dani, she just seemed like a poor girl who had no idea what she was getting into with her new life. And I was right about MOST of the characters. A lot of them really were just awful people. But I was genuinely surprised by some of them. Kim was one of those characters. I was so turned off by her character in the beginning that I almost quit reading, but she ended up redeeming herself by the end in my opinion. So as far as the characters, the author did a really great job. She made me feel sympathy and anger equally, which is really hard to do. I knew who was killed, and who the bad guys were. I knew they deserved it before getting too far into it, but I just wasn’t sure why. It was really interesting watching it all play out. The writing was great and the pacing was as well, although I am used to the faster pace of thrillers. This book ended up being nothing like what I expected, and I’m really glad I was wrong about it.

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

what a fun and twisty debut thriller!! 🖤 I love when I’m utterly consumed by the mystery (and yes I binged this one in a day)

kelsey cox created a wonderful cast of unreliable narrators, from the ex wife to the current wife to the best friend to the nanny to the daughter’s friend… they were all so well fleshed out & holding their own secrets that I was desperate to see how the pieces all fit together at the end

and boy, was I shocked! it takes a lot to surprise me with mysteries these days, and while I did guess some of the twists, there were a few secrets that had me GAGGED 🤯 I loved how it all played out, slowly revealing the characters’ fates in a dual timeline POV rather than a typical linear timeline

thank you minotaur for the gifted advanced copy! this one’s a perfect read for july!!!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: veuve clicquot rosé champagne

4.5 stars!!!

This one was such a quick paced thriller for me. If you like The Guest List, locked room thrillers, or multiple POVS, you may like this book!

Sophia is turning 16. Her dad and stepmom are throwing her an extravagant birthday party. Screams are heard and someone is found dead. Who is it and what happened? We have a non-linear time line, multiple views, and multiple suspects.

The author had me guessing for a while! Then she hits you with a twist, that I wasn't expecting. You try to connect who did what and the ending goes by quickly! Told from the mom, step-mom, nanny, and best friends perspective, you see where everyone is paying attention.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The perfect summer domestic thrill! Sophie is having a sweet sixteen and a whole cast of suspicious characters are in attendance. When something tragic happens, the reader is left wondering whodunnit. From the suspicious Irish nanny to the ex wife and the flirtatious friend, the reader will be questioning the entire party of liars. I enjoyed the dual timeline of before and after the party and the multiple POVs. The twisty ending is the perfect way to wrap up this party.

Meet the characters of this excellent and engaging book.
Ethan a master manipulator
Kim his alcoholic ex-wife
Dani his adoring new wife
Sophi daughter of Ethan and Kim
Mikayla Sophi’s BFF
Orlaith nanny to Charlotte, Ethan and Dani’s newborn
Secrets, toxic relationships, wild teenagers, so called therapists and gossip ridden friends and neighbors all thrown together for a sweet sixteen birthday celebration. But there is nothing sweet about the innuendos and tension of the multilayered characters and when a death occurs only the shadows of horror remain.
Fast paced and multi layered with characters that seem to define unpleasantness and mystery. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Minotaur Books for this EArc. This review is my honest opinion.

I want to thank Net Galley thru St. Martins for this ARC in exchange for a truthful review. I downloaded this book May 6th, 2025 and finished June 12th. This is important because those who have read my other reviews know I never not finish a book even if I hate it and usually once I start a mystery it takes me a few days to read.
This book created so many emotions that it was a roller coaster ride forcing me to put it down for a few days while I absorbed the plot which shook me to my sole.. What I thought was a slow developing story is a well written and extremely provocative mystery.
There are a slew of characters that will pique your interest. Sophie Matthews, a 16-year-old. female preparing to celebrate her sweet sixteen will spark your interest as the adult world around her implodes. No fears this is no young adult mystery with themes being developed that are modern, deep, and provocative to say the least. If you are like me, many times your head will ache trying to sort this out, but you will have many “aha” moments. In the end you will say “WOW”.
Not a light mystery

Party of Liars completely pulled me in with its mix of gossip, secrets, and that perfect “everyone’s hiding something” energy. It starts with a mysterious death at a party, and from there it turns into this twisty, drama-packed ride where you’re constantly second-guessing everyone. I felt like I was eavesdropping on the juiciest, most dangerous group chat imaginable.

The characters are messy in the best way. Some I loved, some I seriously side-eyed, and all of them kept me hooked. There’s something so fun about trying to piece everything together while also watching friendships unravel and alliances shift. It gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes but with its own fresh spin.

If you’re into fast reads with scandal, suspense, and just the right dose of teen chaos, Party of Liars delivers. I couldn’t stop flipping the pages and definitely didn’t see the ending coming.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Kelsey Cox for an ARC of Party of Liars! When the twists start coming they don’t stop coming. I’m still trying to pick up my jaw. The beginning was a slow burn a bit - but the second half just keeps coming at you. I love the different perspectives - you hear from the birthday girls mom, Kim, the step mom, Dani, the nanny, Órlaith, and the best friend, Mikayla. I loved the layout of their chapters where it was present and past then present again. The only part that is slightly overdone is the description of the house. It is in fact amazing - but I kept going more story lol! The story majorly takes place on Sophie’s 16th birthday party at her father and step mother’s big house on the hill that is supposedly haunted by the mother. Someone screams and there is a loud crash and a fall. We follow through the party and the lies that are unfolding. Kim and her drinking and grudges, Dani and her postpartum, Mikayla and the darkness in her, Órlaith and her stories and superstitions. Not everyone is going to leave this party alive or with their secrets.

If you are a fan of twisty storylines and convincing yourself the killer is someone, only to be surprised by the real story THIS IS FOR YOU! Thank you to Netgalley, Kelsey and her amazing team Minotaur Books for the eARC in return for an honest review! This is a SMASH!

What To Expect:
⭐ Multiple POV
⭐ Dual Timelines
⭐ Ex-Wife and Younger Current Wife Drama
⭐ Story line of teenage daughter & friends
⭐ Twisted storylines
⭐ A very twisted spouse who will surprise all of us in the end

TW:
There are discussions of an older male with a 16 year old caught in inappropriate relations.
Postpartum Depression after giving birth.
Teenagers abusing alcohol and drugs.

My Thoughts:
WHOA. The ending of this story will blow you out of the water. The way it all falls together through the eyes of the multiple main characters is incredible. You have to stay focused on the story through each chapter as they are all different POVs but also different story lines being built. From the nanny to both ex & current wives all having back stories to tell, history to share and all tied in to the current story. There is heart break, concern for a new mom and growing concern for all the guests in attendance at the event that is the main focus of the story. Amongst so much more!

You will be questioning who the body is that the police are called for. You will be questioning who could have caused such a terrible thing to happen. You will be wondering who is really to blame for ALL the issues that seem to be happening. Is it really paranormal or the story that has plagued the house and town where the event takes place? So many questions are asked and eventually answered BUT it will surprise you WHO and HOW they all ended up where they are at the end of the book!!!

All the characters are well developed, the storyline though twisty is well organized and well written. You don't feel lost or as though something was thrown in as an afterthought. Each scene depicted makes you feel as though you are standing in the room with each character. The lipstick writing on the mirror had me feeling as though I was losing my mind with the main character! Along with so many other scenes including the details about the house! The view alone sounds magnificent!

Ugh just so so good!

Also if you struggle with following dual POVs and multiple storylines when physically reading the audiobook is a 10/10! The audiobook team is incredible! Giving each character their own voice and tempo to the story really helps each storyline stand on their own. Cheers to the entire narration team: Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld and Suzy Jackson you were all absolutely amazing in your delivery of your characters and the scenes unfolding with them! LOVED IT ALL!

Synopsis:
oday 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—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.

It's Sophie's 16th birthday. Her parents are split up, her dad lives in a jumbo dollhouse on a hill, and is classically remarried with a new baby. Sophie's mom, Kim, has a drinking problem, and her stepmom, Dani, might be crazy.

Is it the house? The house was originally built in the 1800s, was insanely large, and a young mother jumped to her death after her child died. The house sat abandoned until Kim and Ethan purchased it and began to renovate it. But somehow this ginormous house was both towering over the town and in a neighborhood with a cattle ranch and a bunch of other mcmansions. And the house was haunted, because of course it was.

This was the most boring, anticlimactic, drawn out, and exhausting not a thriller. There were so many POVs and characters and back story and hints at more interesting things that never really came to be that it was a struggle to get through it. Most of the stuff didn't even matter in the end, and not in a mysterious fun way, just a filling up the page way.

I really had to fight my way through this one. I did not particularly care how it ended, and once it finally came down to what happened, it was kind of a let down actually. This is more character driven than plot driven, but for that to work the characters need to be more interesting, and this was a huge miss for me.

4.5⭐️

This was an enjoyable thriller! Themes of revenge, supernatural elements, and flawed characters combined to form an intriguing plot. Themes twists were subtle, but well done.

I will preface this review by stating I am generally a lover of domestic thrillers so I sort of feel like I was destined to enjoy this book. It had all of the necessary components for a good domestic thriller- drama, lies, shady pasts, and murder. There were several good twists and an ending that was truly satisfying. I deducted one star simply for how utterly annoying and pretentious all of the teens in the story were- they were so easy to hate! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this novel.