Man, this book kicks off with what you think is gonna be all sunshine and rainbows – a kid's birthday bash, you know? Loads of giggles, cake everywhere, happy little faces. But BAM! It goes from sweet to seriously twisted real fast for Natalie. Her niece vanishes that day, and ever since then, it's like she's stuck in this never-ending bad dream. So the cops get involved, right? But there's zilch on Elle, and it's like nobody saw a thing. They're trying to piece things together while Jo's just living this nightmare with her kid gone. Fast forward twenty years – TWENTY YEARS! – and Natalie, along with this private eye she secretly hired way back, starts digging up clues that scream someone's gotta know something. And when the big reveal finally hits? Holy moly, it totally floors you! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator absolutely nailed it, just pulling you into all the feels and the depth of the story. Seriously gripping and you just can't stop listening. Packed with all these messed-up family secrets and who-knows-what motives from the people closest to you, I totally loved it! Huge thanks to Brilliance Audio and Netgalley for letting me listen to and review this awesome book – it was a real treat!

That was a fun read. I had no idea where it was going which is rare in thrillers. I think you guys will like it.

✨ Arc Review ✨ OUT May 15 2025 ✨

Natalie’s daughter’s birthday party turns into a mother‘s worst nightmare. Nobody in the party saw Elle go missing… she was simply there, then gone. Then some new information came to light. A person in a cute dog costume was seen with Elle in her final movements on the ice. Was that part of the kidnapping? They don’t know for sure. All Natalie knows is that her Neice Elle is gone and she’s going to have to tell her sister she lost her on her watch. Days go by with no real leads. What happened to her?!
Fast forward 10 years…
It’s almost the 10th anniversary of when little Elle went missing and some strange things start happening. Long buried secrets start coming to the surface. Natalie and her sister relive the horror of Elle going missing. Then a promising lead… Will their world be shattered by what they discover? Will there be a happy ending?! You’ll have to read to find out!

⛸️ I was immediately drawn in with this book. I read it in one day because I couldn’t stop.
I went in blind so the 10 year leap messed me up momentarily and I thought there’s no way this will work. I was never more happy to be wrong. It worked well. The freaking turns this book took threw me for a loop more than once. The unique chapters from the kidnappers pov was a nice addition to this thrilling ride. I figured out the who but not the why because you think you know, but you have no idea.
This was an excellent read and I highly recommend!

Thank you to @netgalley and @shaboland for this advanced copy!
I cannot wait to check out more from Shalini Boland!

Thanks NetGalley and Brilliance audio of the ARC of The Birthday Party.

The very first chapter immediately grabs you and this book is filled with twist and turns until the very end.
A child goes missing at a birthday party and this shapes all of the characters for the rest of their lives.
I did not see any of the twist coming. It was one after the other and I was just left constantly surprised. I loved this. It was a wild ride until the very last chapter! Very fast paced, fun read. A little heartbreaking too.

This book had so many twists and turns. I loved the double timelines and the mystery surrounding the abduction so interesting. The characters kept me entertained and the narration was great.

The Birthday Party took me by surprise. I was hooked on the characters. The family dynamics and heightened stressful situations kept me guessing and guessing. L the very
I felt the tension build and I attribute that to the writing as well as excellent narration.
This is a well written, twist and turn suspense that delivers a satisfying conclusion.
I will be looking for more from this Shalini Boland.

Let's chat about Shalini Boland's "The Birthday Party"! I just finished it, and honestly, it was a real page-turner that kept me guessing right up until the end. If you're like me and love a good domestic thriller with a side of "who can you even trust?", then you'll probably dig this one.
What I really appreciated about "The Birthday Party" was how Boland juggled all the different voices. Seriously, keeping track of everyone's perspective could have been a mess, but she nailed it! Getting inside the heads of all these different characters really added layers to the story and made it so much more gripping. You're constantly trying to figure out who's hiding what, and seeing things through their eyes is a big part of that.
And speaking of layers, the way Boland played with the past and present timelines was super effective. It wasn't just a simple "this happened then, this is happening now" situation. She cleverly wove the two together, dropping little hints and breadcrumbs from the past that slowly started to make sense in the context of the birthday party drama. It was like piecing together a puzzle, and I was totally invested in seeing how all the pieces would fit.
The story itself is deliciously tense. You've got this seemingly normal birthday celebration, but you can just feel that something is seriously off. Boland does a great job of building that suspense, making you feel like the walls are slowly closing in on these characters. I definitely found myself holding my breath a few times!
Now, while I really enjoyed the ride, I have to be honest – there were a couple of moments towards the end where I thought, "Hmm, that felt a tiny bit convenient." And with so many different points of view, there were a few times where I felt like the story's flow got just a little bit bumpy.
But honestly, those were minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things. Overall, "The Birthday Party" is a really solid and entertaining thriller that kept me hooked. If you're looking for a book with well-developed characters, secrets galore, and a plot that will keep you guessing thanks to its clever use of multiple perspectives and timelines, then definitely add this one to your TBR pile. I'm giving it a strong 4 out of 5 stars – it's a twisty treat that's perfect for a weekend binge-read!

When her niece, Elle, goes missing from her daughter's birthday party, Natalie is shocked. No one saw her leave and the police struggle to find answers. Ten years on and still no news, Natalie is doing what she can to support her sister Jo. Will they ever find out what happened? This audiobook was fantastic. I could feel the emotions and the suspense oozing out of the story. The twist at the end was so unexpected that I was thrown for a bit! It wasn't my favorite ending but I think because of this, I wouldn't have predicted it either. Highly recommend!

Wow!!!!! Shalini Boland is the Queen of Suspense and this read proved why. She is one of my all time favorite authors for that reason alone. All her books resonate with me and give me all the feels. Where to begin????? So I don’t know where to start with this book but let me say first that I did this one as an audiobook. I’m so glad I did. That narrator was awesome. She really got the feel of the book perfectly with her voice. Next up characters. There was so much going on with all of them. There were many secrets among them but also this family dynamic was very dysfunctional. They didn’t know how to grieve their loss so they hurt each other instead of lifting each other up to move past the trauma. Now let’s talk plot. I’m always up to read any book with a missing child. I think it’s because they are so young and innocent. They don’t know any better and will believe anything they are told. Last but not least that mind blowing ending. There were so many twists that I didn’t see coming. I was speechless by the end. I’m like why????? I actually listened to this one in just a couple days and let it sit with me overnight before I wrote this review. I had to make sure I did it justice and I hope I succeeded in that. This book was great and I can’t say enough good things about it. I would give it a hundred stars if I could. I’m not sure how this author is going to top this one. I can’t wait for her next one to come out.

This was good. I would have enjoyed more suspense, but it was still enjoyable. I wanted a bigger sense of urgency with the missing child and that is where things fell flat. There were two twists at the end and that is why I ended up giving the book four stars.

This was a twisty and intriguing domestic thriller that had me guessing until the end!

I really enjoyed the flip between past as present as it was slow burn and really helped build to the ending.

The chapters were just the right length to build tension and the writing style easy to follow.

The characters did feel a bit flat at times but the narrator did a fantastic job bringing them to life.

Overall this an enjoyable read and I'd definitely check out more by this author in the future!

I felt like this book was really slow. I feel like it focused so much on the mother instead of the missing girl. At about 80% things started happening and the twists were unexpected. It just took a long time to get there.

This novel begins with what seems like a joyful occasion: a child's birthday party filled with laughter, cake, and happy children. However, what should have been a day filled with cherished memories quickly spirals into a nightmare for Natalie. On that fateful day, her niece disappeared, and since then, a living nightmare has trapped Natalie. When the police become involved, there's no sign of Elle, and witnesses seem scarce, leaving them to piece together Jo's life with her daughter missing. Fast forward to the twentieth anniversary of Elle's disappearance, and Natalie, along with the private investigator she discreetly consulted years ago, uncovers clues that suggest someone must know something. When the shocking twist finally emerges, it’s nothing short of earth-shattering! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a phenomenal job conveying the story's emotions and depth. Engaging and captivating, this is an audiobook you simply cannot overlook! Bursting with family secrets and hidden motives from those closest to you, I absolutely adored it! A heartfelt thank you to Brilliance Audio and Netgalley for the incredible opportunity to listen to and review this gem—it was truly a delight!

Great thriller with a solid twist. I had no idea what was happening and who to believe. I didn't see that twist coming. I was hooked throughout the whole book.

Thank you to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for this ALC of The Birthday Party by Shalini Boland. This was the first experience I had with this author but it won’t be the last. Told in present and past tense it follows the tragic experience of a family who had a family member taken away from a birthday party. The aunt of the abducted child never gave up until the truth was discovered. The twists of the whole book was something I never would have guessed. I definitely recommend this book to anyone.

As for the narrative it was fine. Nothing special but nothing terrible.

I loved this book. Had no idea "who done it" til the very end. I could not figure it out. What a twist.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Corbett does a fantastic job with the narration on this book! She is clear and concise and handles all the characters with ease! The story itself simply blew me away! There were so many twists and turns, it made my head spin in the best way! I loved how I really had no idea how the story was moving from one chapter to the next and was caught off guard repeatedly. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers and mysteries involving family and a missing little girl!

Shalini Boland is one of my favorite thriller authors, so I was so excited to get this ARC! It lived up to my hopes, keeping me off-kilter through to the very last sentence!

Premise - Natalie is watching Elle, her niece, at her own daughter's 8th birthday party, on behalf of her irresponsible younger sister, Jo. When Sasha, one of the kids, takes a tumble while skating, Natalie's attention is diverted. When the boo-boo is resolved, Natalie looks up to find Elle missing. There's no trace of the girl for almost a decade... until, days before the tenth anniversary of Elle's disappearance, Jo becomes convinced someone is stalking her. Someone who knows where Elle is, but that's far from the only secret plaguing the family...

This was perfectly paced and the characters, especially Natalie, felt so real. I was so invested in their lives, in Natalie's guilt, in Jo's spiral - I couldn't break myself away!

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Clare Corbett. Corbett delivered an engaging read! Her performance, paired with the quick pace and high tension of the story, made this a perfect pick to fuel me through a workout, housekeeping, and some errands. The time flew by! If you can get the audiobook, the format is a great fit for this story.

Thanks, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.