This is my first book by Kelsey Cox and it won’t be my last! The cover is what intrigued me and why I downloaded it. The book is told from 5 perspectives and the author does a great job of reminding you who is who. Everyone has a secret and she lets out little pieces of information at a time. Great read and loved how the book ends!

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

Omg omg omg!!! This book. So well written, great story line, awesome twists. I loved all the characters (well most of them) great book!!! I'd love to read more by this author.

April Read/ Listen: Party of Liars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I really enjoyed this book. I got a ARC to read and to listen to.

It was fun to go back and forth between the both. The audio was well done and really gave me a sense of the characters.

The writing style was great and VERY descriptive. I could picture the house, the party and all the details.

I loved the setting of this being in Texas and learned a new term “ The Glossy’s”

I was captivated from the start and was completely shocked at the end!!!

⭐️Favorite lines:
“I promise myself I won’t drink at the party “

“The smaller the body the bigger the personally “

“ I say F &$@ it and give my self a healthy pour”

Story:
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 . . .

Party of Liars

Summary: Sophie’s lavish sweet sixteen birthday party takes centre stage in this page-turning suspenseful thriller.
What we know: there’s a body, there’s a new younger wife suffering from postpartum depression, there’s the angry ex wife, and there’s a slew of other unreliable characters.

What we don’t know: who’s lying and who’s sincere, who is dead and who did it.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this a lot. It contained enough suspense that I read it quickly. I loved to hate every unreliable, untrustworthy character! The twist was a surprise that I hadn’t expected, although, there was a lot of fluff added to throw off the scent. There was also some moments of blandness that could have been omitted but other than that it was a good solid read.

today is sophie's 16 birthday and her father has spared no expense for the party, just as she is about to blow out the candles, a body falls from the balcony. good story

This book captured the intriguing essence of a drama-filled thriller centered around Sophie’s sweet 16th birthday party. The story, set against the vibrant backdrop of Texas, promises complex characters and a tangled web of relationships that keep readers engaged. The party's high tensions and the intricate plot create an overwhelming yet captivating experience. While the characters may be challenging to like, their complexity adds depth to the narrative. Overall, it’s a thrilling read that fans of the genre will appreciate, despite feeling occasionally overwhelmed by the myriad of plot threads. A special thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy!

🌟 A gripping, fast-paced read with a twist I never saw comings 🌟
Dani and Ethan are settling into life with their newborn and nanny, Orlaith, in their newly rebuilt home. Their home is constructed on the grounds of a former house steeped in tragedy, where a grieving mother took her own life after losing her child. Dani starts noticing strange occurrences in their home: things out of place, an unsettling sense of being watched. When they decide to throw a Sweet 16 party for Ethan’s older daughter Sophie, the festive night quickly descends into a nightmare.

This book was interesting.
If you love a drama filled thriller, you will love this one.
It’s Sophie’s sweet 16th birthday party and tensions are high between like basically everyone invited.
The characters were complex and hard to like.
The scenery was legit. Can’t help but love a book based in Texas.
There was a lot going on in this story. Just so many pieces and threads. I enjoyed it, but I felt overwhelmed at points.
All in all a thriller worth reading for sure.
Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur books for the arc!
3.5 ⭐️

3.5 stars

This is one party at which you'll be happy to be a fly on the wall versus the belle of the ball. Yikes!

Sophie is turning 16, and this is just the right time for all of the creeps in her life to congregate at the odd home of her dad, young stepmom, and infant half-sister. What's weird about this house? Well, it has been designed with a "doll house effect," so anyone can look into a whole side of it and scare the inhabitants. It's also filled with not nice people. Also, it was the dream home of Sophie's parents, and only her dad lives there now; her mom gets to watch someone else live there with him...in her dream home. There's another intriguing element that falls all the way flat: this notion that the house is haunted. There are a few mentions and then...nothing. A strange letdown on that front. So this house is supposed to be the evny of the town, but it's nowhere you'd actually want to go. Bring your sage.

In addition to the odd setting, this book is filled with characters who are not at all thriving. Sophie is fairly vapid and mostly serves as the conduit between adults and others. Her mom, Kim, is an alcoholic who has hit rock bottom but likes to revisit anyway. Her dad, Ethan, seems like a standup guy, but there's something sus about him. Dani, her stepmom, is young and has recently been labeled as unwell due to what appears to be postpardum. Since she isn't exactly sure about her own experiences, she's unreliable to both herself and readers. There's a nanny who observes a lot and seems to know more than everyone else. And there's Sophie's best friend, who is overshadowed by Sophie's cooler persona and easier way with friends and boys.

The writing and plot flow smoothly, but for me, this was frustratingly predictable. I read a lot in this genre and understand that's a constant risk, but there were too many signs pointing to the final outcome early on. More than that, I was so grossed out by various scenes in which adults sexualize underage teens. These moments are called out as being gross at times, but not strongly enough. Those scenes were over the top for me and did detract from my overall enthusiasm about the book.

This was an engaging read overall, and I'd absolutely recommend it for a beach read, road trip, or day of errands, but prepare for some icky content and some high predictability.

Concerns aside, I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author.

I was so excited to have received this as an ARC and ALC! WHAT A DEBUT. This is how you do it!

A gothic house mystery set in Texas?? This Texan says I AM SAT. Our setting is a gorgeous old house that has been remodeled so the entire back of the house is made of glass, giving a dollhouse appearance. Our story is centered around a 16 year old's birthday party.

This gave me Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley vibes. Lots of ominous foreshadowing. I loved the Texas hill country setting (and the HEB references). This was so engrossing I finished in less than two days.

We as readers are constantly grappling with wondering if the POVs are reliable narrators. Who can we trust? The author was great at writing all the characters, and the narrators did a wonderful job with the performance.

HOLY PLOT TWIST. If you guessed it, message me!!

This review will be shared on my booksta, toomanyfivestarreads, soon.

A Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox unfolds mostly over a single suspenseful night of Sophie’s 16th birthday party, set in a house with a dark history. From the start, we know someone has died, but the mystery lies in uncovering who. The novel is a slow-burn thriller, weaving backstory and tense character interactions as secrets come to light.

The story is told through multiple female perspectives, highlighting themes of complex relationships and hidden motives. Some characters were deeply unlikable, while others kept me questioning their true intentions. I appreciated how the suspense built gradually, keeping the identity of the victim a mystery until the big reveal. While I didn't like all of the characters, the layered storytelling kept me engaged, and I enjoyed the overall experience.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Man do I love a great locked room mystery, and this was no exception! Secrets abound everywhere in the YA thriller.

I absolutely loved this book! Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC. I was hooked from the very beginning and devoured every page. The multiple POV really helps keep the suspense going from start to finish. I just love how everything wrapped up.

🚨 BOOK LOVERS: Add Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox to your pre-order list RIGHT NOW. I just finished my ARC and I’m convinced—this is one of the BEST thrillers I’ve ever read. Goodreads better give this a Best Thriller nom or I’m getting God on the phone myself. FIVE. STARS. BABY!!! 🙌📚

From page one, you’re tossed headfirst into a chaotic, jaw-dropping crime scene. Someone falls. Someone knows something. But who? And why? You don’t know who died, who did it, or even who’s telling the truth. And the best part? You have to earn the answers. 😈

Tropes? We’ve got ‘em: a locked-room mystery, extremely shady narrators, an extravagant party turned nightmare, stepmom/ex-wife tension, and a spooky cliffside mansion that practically breathes secrets. Also—gaslighting? Best friend with secrets? Small-town gossip? OH YES. 👀💀

And Kelsey Cox’s writing? Chef’s kiss. 👏 She nails each POV so convincingly that you feel the discomfort, jealousy, suspicion, and pain these characters carry. Whether it's the teenage angst of Sophie, the complicated stepmom Dani, or the gossip-fueled tension between grown-ups who pretend to play nice—every emotion is so raw and real. Everyone has motive. Everyone has secrets. And somehow, NO ONE is safe. 😱

This one gave me serious Home Before Dark (by Riley Sager) vibes—with the added thrill of social facades cracking under pressure. I found myself gasping, highlighting lines, taking notes, and (not gonna lie) occasionally whispering “WHAT IS HAPPENING” out loud. I need this on audiobook ASAP because the drama is DYING to be performed.

Releases July 1, 2025. Pre-order it. Trust me.

And that, my friends, is today’s tea on “Party of Liars” ☕️

Grateful for Netgalley and the publisher to receive this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This book was full of drama as it highlighted the main event of Sophie's sweet 16 party thrown by her wealthy father, Ethan. The event, held in a mansion full of history, owned by Sophie's dad and new wife Dani, is the location for the big event and with plenty of foreshadowing, the reader soon figures out the party will result in a death. The story told with multiple POV is easy to follow, despite alternating between before the party, day of party and following the party. I had a hard time really enjoying any of the characters.. and there are quite a few.
I'm not sure that the ending left me fully satisfied but I mainly was invested and continued reading to find out who died during the party and was caused it.
3 stars-

In Party of Liars, we follow the events and close friends and family at Sophie's sweet sixteen party. We're at a posh Texas party, so the characters are very dynamic and fit this bill. But, there's also an element of mystery, particularly, the mother. In the great big house on the hill that Ethan bought with his ex-wife Kim and now lives in with his current wife Dani, people claim they can often hear the sound of a woman's scream. Just before Sophie blows out the candles on her extravagent cake, a body falls from the upstairs balcony, chilling the air.

Much of this book occurs prior to the body falling, but also during the party. It takes talent to write an engaging book that spans literal hours. And I am still not over the ending. My gosh it was so incredible! The only thing holding me back from a full 5 stars is that I lost steam during the book a bit, but truly it was incredible!

There are a lot of characters to follow in this book, and in many books with this many characters I struggle to keep track. However, in this book each character was so unique that it was actually really easy to keep track of them all. The only part that got to me was that I didn't connect with any of the characters strongly enough to be rooting for them in the end. That said, the ending was wonderful and hit just right for how the story was framed. This book was very well done and I give major kudos to Kelsey Cox as a debut author! Also, I read the acknowledgements and Kelsey, thank you for not giving up!

Disclosure: Thank you to St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are enthusiastically my own.

CW: Alcoholism, Death/Murder, Adult/minor relationship

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox

Release Date: July 1, 2025

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and MacMillian Audio for my eARC and ALC!

Sophie Matthew’s is turning Sweet Sixteen and her father, Ethan, is throwing her a lavish, black-tie party at his mansion in the heart of Texas. The mansion, newly renovated by Ethan and his ex-wife, Kim, has always been thought to be haunted for the last 100 years by “The Mother”. By the end of the party, a body falls from the balcony, giving credibility to the folklore.

Cox tells this story through multiple POVs; specifically, through Dani, Sophie’s step-mother and new mom to Charlotte, Orlaith, the Irish Nanny, Mikayla, Sophie’s best friend, and Kim, the ex-wife. This book explores themes of motherhood, friendships, first love, deception, and abusive relationships through the female POVs. Some characters you’ll love, some you’ll find unreliable, and others you’ll question their life choices.

Party of Liars has a complex plot with several twists you never saw coming. I was hooked after the first chapter. The narrators did a great job making each character distinct and enhanced my ALC experience when I was listening. Since I was also provided an e-book copy, I was able to seamlessly pick up my kindle when I could take a minute to read.

Narrators: Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld, Suzy Jackson

I highly recommend checking out Kelsey Cox’s debut novel when it is released in July!

This was a really fun read! I enjoyed all the drama and tension. I liked that the chapters alternated between POVs. I had theories on what was going to happen and I was completely wrong! The twists were really great

Thank you to Minotaur for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

From the very first page, this book draws you into its world with engaging prose, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative. The author's storytelling is confident and immersive, weaving together themes that resonate long after the final chapter.

Love me an unreliable narrator!

The dual timeline and multi POV really gives this thriller what it needs to keep you guessing until the very end. And the author did a great job making things you thought you knew and understood not be quite right at all. Mikayla’s POV threw me off at first because it’s an adult book with what felt like a random teen POV, but once I got into it, it made perfect sense to include her.

Thanks NetGalley and Minotaur for the ARC.