hanks to NetGalley for an ALC of this book. The premise sounded really interesting, and it really was. I didn’t quite know what was going to happen and thought I’d figured some things out that were wrong. I didn’t love the big ~*twist*~ at the end, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

I am sorry to write this review as I did not care much for the plot or the characters and the pacing was really slow. I really wanted to like this more, but this really felt like the same story as Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and I had a hard time moving past that. I thought the audible recording was well done with the material given. I received both the audio and ebook as an advanced copies prior to release date later this year. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced copies.

Rating: 🤗/4.25
Review: Loved the Texas connection. Rich people behaving badly but with substance about being a mother, mental illness and sexism. Not necessarily a thriller, but definite tension of unknown past mistakes. The house is definitely a character.
Format: 👩🏻‍💻
Source: #netgalley

Published on Goodreads 4/21/2025

#netgalley copy

This was such a fun read. So fast paced, so intriguing. It kept me completely hooked and obsessed. I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed it. There are a lot of characters to keep track of but I never found it hard to keep track of them. Some twists were really good. Recommend!

This book was recommended to me by the publisher, which normally wouldn't catch my attention but the Rachel Hawkins blurb did. New to this author, took a chance and for the most part am glad I did. I enjoyed the characters and the unfolding of the mystery. However, for a day of the party, it feels like an absolutely the longest day humanity has ever known. Also I did guess where the story would end up but there were a few beats of it that surprised me. Ultimately I think the villainy needed a lot more set up to land well. Would have been 4, marked down to 3 for that.

Party of Liars follows Sophie’s extravagant 16th birthday at a mansion with a haunted past—and by the end of the night, someone is dead. I loved the multiple POVs, especially how they explored themes like motherhood and friendship. The characters are complex—you may not like them all, but you may understand them by the end. Though it takes place over one evening, the pacing felt tight and kept me turning pages. The Gothic/paranormal hints were intriguing,but didn’t fully go anywhere. Mikayla’s story felt unfinished, which was disappointing given its weight. A more focused POV—maybe just Dani and Kim—might’ve made the story smoother. Still, the twisty ending landed well, and overall it’s a solid 3-star read. This felt like a YA book.

Sophie's ridiculously Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen becomes a crime scene when a body crashes onto the dance floor from a balcony above, transforming teenage revelry into small-town scandal. Cox structures this whodunit around multiple female perspectives - the young stepmother Dani, the bitter ex-wife Kim, the Irish nanny Orlaith, and Sophie's best friend Mikayla - each hiding their own secrets and resentments. The book plants subtle hints about certain relationships that completely misdirected me until a surprising revelation midway through changed my understanding of the characters and their motives. While there wasn't a truly likable person in the bunch, the twist kept me invested despite an ending that felt a bit underwhelming after all the buildup. A quick, entertaining read for when you want rich people behaving badly, petty grudges, and murder all wrapped into one party disaster.

Meh. Party of Liars was true to its title but wasn't a big hit for me. This book was filled with horrible, one-dimensional characters, all of which were hiding something, and I couldn't relate to nor root for a single one. The story is told in four different POVS, and we are given so much unnecessary backstory on each of these characters that my interest faded fast. I also had trouble with the structuring within some of the chapters. The lack of transition between unrelated thoughts muddled my brain. There were a few twists, one I didn't see coming, but my main interest was finding out who fell from the balcony. I did become more invested around the 60% mark and enjoyed the story for the most part from that point until the end. The paranormal aspect of The Mother was intriguing and created a haunting atmosphere; however, we were never given any explanation or sense of resolution for this supposed presence. I'm confused as to why this was even incorporated into the story. What was the point? I didn't hate this debut, but I didn't love it. I think it had a lot of potential that just missed the mark. It was definitely more of a drama than a thriller. I would still recommend only for fear of missing out.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars. Enjoyed this ARC especially at first but it really slowed down and some of the TW were a bit cringe 🥴 enjoyed the twist at the end!

While this book wasn’t exactly what I was expecting the title is completely accurate. All of the characters the reader gets to know are liars and most of them are pretty horrible honestly. It was hard to have anyone to root for and the few I tried to root for pretty much made me regret it at one point or another. The book centers around Sophie’s big 16th birthday party and the reader gets to see the event through a lot of perspectives including her best friend, her mother, her stepmother, and the nanny. They live in a giant house on a cliff with glass walls that the whole town knows is haunted. I listened to the audiobook for most of this one and I liked it, I thought the different voices were narrated well. Overall I think this was a strong debut even if it was more drama than the thriller I was expecting. I thought that most of the twists were easily seen coming, but there were a couple of small things that surprised me. I would definitely read more by this author.

Loved this book. Had me guessing til the end. Don't miss this one.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I enjoyed this book from about halfway through to the end. The twists I didn’t even see coming! You are following the perspective of multiple people and at first it gets confusing. I had trouble connecting with the characters but eventually I was hooked. Just remember the title of the book. Because yep. Party of liars alright.

"Party of Liars" is a domestic thriller full of drama, secrets, and lies. I had so much fun reading this book. It reminded me of "Big Little Lies," where you know someone has died, but you're not sure who. I loved the guessing game, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The story is told through alternating timelines and perspectives. I'm a huge fan of this format, because I never knew who to trust or believe. There were a lot of characters, but I didn't find it confusing, and I thought they were all well-developed. Having the different POVs built a lot of tension and suspense. I had so many theories about what was going to happen. I guessed some things correctly, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. Such a great debut from Kelsey Cox!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The last page had me staring at the wall for quite some time after! I did not see that coming.

Dani and Ethan seem to have it all…a mansion on the hill, a new baby, a perfect marriage, etc. Something strange is happening to Dani though like misplacing things, having trouble with her memory and it also doesn’t help that the rumor around town is that the house they live in is haunted by The Mother. Is Dani really losing her mind or is The Mother to blame?

Ethan has a daughter from a previous marriage and talks Dani in to throwing a Sweet 16 for Sophie. Dani is convinced that someone is out to get her and is anxious to have people coming and going from her home in case one of the partygoers is the person stalking her. As the guests arrive and start to loosen up from the alcohol, Dani is suspicious of multiple people and begins questioning her own sanity.

There are multiple POV’s which are people that are attendees of the party and there are multiple timelines as well. I struggled in the beginning to keep everyone straight but it became easier as the book went on. I do feel like the suspense drug on just a little too long and I would have liked to have learned more about Mikayla but overall I thought this was a great read and it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Kelsey Cox, and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

3/5 Stars

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox is a messy, twisty YA thriller that had me hooked at first but kind of lost me by the end. The story is centered around a lavish sweet 16 for Sophie, where secrets start to unravel and things take a seriously dark turn. It’s told from multiple POVs, which I usually love, and at first it works — you get different angles on the same events and everyone’s got something shady going on.

Then there’s this paranormal element thrown in, and honestly… it made no sense. It felt totally out of place, like it was added in last minute to spice things up but didn’t get properly explained or connected to the rest of the plot. I kept waiting for it to click or have some payoff, but it just didn’t.

And speaking of payoff — the ending was a letdown. After all the drama and buildup, it felt rushed and kind of unsatisfying. Some character arcs were left hanging, and a few twists just didn’t land for me.

That said, it’s a fast, bingeable read with plenty of drama and secrets if that’s what you’re in the mood for. I wouldn’t call it bad, just… a bit of a missed opportunity.

I LOVED this book and the writing style. Most chapters ended on a mini cliffhanger that made this difficult to put down! Multiple POVs, twists I didn't see coming and a constant flip flop if you like the characters or not. I will say, the description states that this is a "locked-room whodunit" however, there is nothing 'locked room' about it. Still a great book; but I am a locked door lover, so just to set your expectations! :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review. Party of Liars is a debut suspense novel by Kelsey Cox and its pretty impressive for the genre. Ethan and Dani are newly married with a 6 month old baby and a nanny who is odd but loves the baby. Ethan's ex-wife, Kim, has custody of their 16-year old daughter Sophie. Ethan kept the house in the divorce - a large, restored house from the 1800's. This is suspense but there is a thread of horror in it - because the house is supposedly haunted. Sophie's grand 16 year birthday party ends in tragedy and it could be anyone - because Kim is an alcoholic and Dani has mental issues. Throw in a teenaged friend with a heavy crush on Ethan and there are plenty of twists and turns. I'll be looking forward to more work from Kelsey Cox.

Party of Liars is a psychological thriller that has you hooked from the beginning. It is told from multiple points of view, with each one being a fairly unreliable narrator. The story is centered around Sophie‘s sweet 16 birthday party set in a mansion a top the hill, hosted by her father and step mom. All Sophie wants is the perfect birthday party where nothing goes wrong and she can make her ex-boyfriend jealous. However, things don’t go exactly as planned when the party is disrupted by a scream and a someone falls from the balcony. Subtly Woven throughout the story is the history of the house and the local legend that it is haunted providing further skepticism about what is reality. Everyone has secrets they are hiding and everyone is just a little bit suspicious leaving the reader to wonder who can be trusted as the events unfold. I absolutely loved the setting for this story and the characters intricate details of the glamorous party scene. Each narrators’ unreliable characteristics kept me guessing what the twist was going to be!

The further along I got in this novel, the more wrong conclusions I drew which to me, is the sign of a good thriller. It literally kept me guessing up until the last page. Who died at the party? Is there paranormal activity going on at the house? Has gaslighting occurred or are the wife/ex-wife of Ethan going crazy? And what are the intentions of the nanny?

A Texas sized sweet 16 filled with all the ya’lls and fixings a Texan could ever want. This book had lots of baby mama and teen drama. While I enjoyed the alternating POV and short chapters, I found the characters hard to connect with and thought the book was too slow paced for the story it was trying to tell.