This was a slow but with a lot of characters and POVS. It had some suspense but really didn’t fulfill the potential in my opinion. Kinda blah

This was an easy binge read with a chilling atmosphere type setting but unfortunately what started strong didn’t end that way. The paranormal aspect lost me and it was more a drama than a thriller

Five stars! Party of Liars was such a twisty, addictive listen. The story pulled me in right away with its eerie setting, messy secrets, and tension that built with every chapter. I loved the way the characters were slowly unraveled—no one was exactly who they seemed.

The audiobook narration was excellent and made the drama even more intense. It kept me completely hooked from start to finish.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the chance to listen to this one—it was a wild ride!

I went into Party of Liars completely blind. The cover was enough for me to know that I NEEDED to get my hands on this book! Big thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Going in blind, I had no idea what to expect, I didn’t know WHAT had happened-just that SOMETHING happened and to me, literally EVERYONE was suspect at one point or another. I don’t want to reveal too much because I feel like this is the perfect book for someone to go in completely blind—but if you love a good who-done-it with a side of tea and gossip, this is the book for you. I can’t wait for this to release because I need the physical copy on my shelf ASAP.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this audio book ARC opportunity!

I found this book to be unique in that it continually carried tension, with the underlying question of who is lying and who can you trust. There are multiple POV’s, all female character, with different personalities - some you’ll like, some you won’t trust, and some you might not be fond of. The characters had depth which is something I don’t always find in psych thrillers.

I will definitely read a book from this author again!

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox was an audio arc with all the bells and whistles. As a long-time audio listener (think 1980s with a huge Sony Walkman and excessively large headphones), I am always excited when there is more than one narrator. This one is absolutely fabulous with an entire cast of voices. Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld, and Suzy Jackson were all great at voicing their characters and use of multiple narrators make audiobooks even easier to digest. Thank you Macmillan Audio for the extra effort of an ensemble.

The story is set in a haunted house as a sweet 16 party for an extremely wealthy family. Told in reverse, we know a murder takes place and the story unfolds slowly over the course of 11 hours. The characters are fleshed out, the slow unveiling of their individual stories, the superb setting …… all of it make for a great read.

I was unfamiliar with author Cox but would happily read anything she writes.

I think this is the best book that I’ve read so far in 2025, it had all the elements of a great plot. Old wife, new wife, teenage daughter, new baby with second wife, shady best friends, scary nanny, and a creepy husband/father.

This book was a wild ride! It started off as a slow burner, but the ending was epic. I’ve read this in two sittings and imagine this will be one of the best books of the summer of 2025.

This book has it all- tension, intrigue and a dark story. I loved the setting of the house on the hill and the lavish party. The writer’s descriptions made me feel like I was in the story. I liked some of the characters and disliked others, but in the end it all came together. This was a great locked room mystery that burned slowly but interestingly and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

"It was the mother in me, it took over."

#kelseycox you deserve a round of applause. #partyofliars had me making twists and turns that I didn't even see coming and somehow you took all the maybes and instead of just letting them fall aside as you went, you successfully got them ALL to the end in a way that makes so. much. sense.

The audio book was perfectly narrated and I would definitely recommend! make sure to grab this during release week!

#netgalley #arc ##MacMillanAudio

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Party of Liars" and all opinions expressed are my own. I first read this book and then requested the audiobook to listen to. I liked both. The mystical side of the story is what drew me in. The twists and turns kept it interesting. It was suspenseful and listening to the audiobook, even though I knew what was going to happen, it was still really good.

I couldn’t stop listening to this one once I started. What an entertaining cast of characters. Many of them very unlikable, but a few good ones. Everyone is hiding something from others and everyone is guilty in one way or another.
Great narration. Well written and kept me hooked the entire time.

I had really high hopes for this one, deadly rich people party thriller sounds like so much fun. But I was kind of disappointed with this one.

During a sweet sixteen party (in a supposedly haunted house) someone dies, was it an accident? What it a murder? And if it was a murder, who did it? Doesn't that sound like so much fun?!

I feel like nothing that I wanted focus on was focused on. The haunted house thing is kind of immediately dropped and basically never brought up again (you could've done such cool things with that) and nothing really happens. And if anything does happen, it's super predictable. I just wasn't excited when reading this book, I was never anxiously waiting the next reveal because there really wasn't anything to reveal or to be excited about.

There was lots of tension from the drama and interpersonal conflicts. That was fun. But there wasn't enough of that to sustain me. I just wanted more from this book. It wasn't awful by any means, it just didn't have a wow factor.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This was a bit of a "kitchen sink" thriller. A lot of characters and a lot of issues thrown in. It did keep me guessing, but missed the mark a bit as there was a lot of back-story that didn't really build or add to the overall plot.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Party of Liars - Kelsey Cox
Pub Date - 7/1/25
Rating - 3.5 rounded up to 4
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian Audio for this gifted advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book! The narrators were fabulous and the storyline kept me wanting to know more. The story is located in Texas centered around Sophie Matthews' 16th birthday party where someone gets murdered and the reader has to stick around to find out the identity of both the murdered and the murderer. Throughout the story, the reader finds out the messy family dynamics between Sophie's mom, dad, step mom, nanny, dad's business party, and best friend. Very entertaining and will definitely be snagging a copy when this releases!

I signed up for this ARC because it sounded like the perfect “who dun it” “locked room mystery” and I was half right??

The beautiful mansion is the perfect, atmospheric back drop for this story. The author does such an amazing job of describing it in detail so you feel like you’re inside the walls watching the story unfold. Unfortunately the draw of the “haunted mansion” just kind of falls off and isn’t fully explored.

The story is told in alternating POVs, and I think it would have been better if we had heard it solely from the view of Dan (current wife) and Kim (ex wife) to start, sprinkling in other characters for key parts of the story. I found it a little overwhelming and confusing.

The beginning of this book hooks you, you just have to know what’s going to happen and I for sure thought this one was a slam dunk. Unfortunately the further I got into the middle the more confused I got and found the story a bit erratic. The ending is good and ties the story together nicely though.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC audio of this book in exchange for my honest rating!!

This was entertaining. Lots of viewpoints, but they are not hard to follow. The narrator voices are fantastic! You find out someone is dead at the start and then you follow the party to the end to find out what happens. But some twists you see coming. All in all, a quick read.

PARTY OF LIARS!!!! Thank you Netgalley & publishers for letting me listen to this early!

This book is set in a said to be haunted cliffside mansion, told in multiple POVS both before, during, and after Sophie’s huge Sweet Sixteen. And while the first half of the story getting to know the characters and getting inside their heads *seems* a little slow, I never lost interest in the story.

It’s hard to describe this book without just reiterating the title. Every time I thought “What’s the deal here, and how does it pertain to the story?”, I got hit with the MEANEST plot twists over and over. And even better- I didn’t see a SINGLE one coming. 😭

Every single detail and POV (there were like half a dozen) was intentional and leading up to something huge. Up to the last chapter, I was on the edge of my seat- and the utter shock I felt in the last thirty seconds of the book was SOOO good. If you love thrillers, if you love Lisa Jewell, PLEASE read this!!

This book was electric and I absolutely inhaled it! Following four different women and their intertwining paths leading up to and during the night of Sophie's lavish 16th birthday party, Party of Liars explores themes of obsession, jealousy, addiction, and motherhood. It is an explosive and dark thriller, told in alternative POV's and full of twists I was not expecting.

🎧 I appreciate they had different narrators for each alternating chapter / perspective. It really helped keep the characters and situations clear, and I thought the narrators fit the characters perfectly.

While this novel unfolds at a deliberate, slow-burn pace, its deeply character-driven narrative and late-arriving thrills ultimately won me over. I found myself genuinely enjoying the ride, even if it took patience to get there.

The story centers on a sweet sixteen celebration, brimming with a cast of dynamic, well-drawn characters. There’s Dani, the stepmother and new mom grappling with postpartum struggles that blur the line between paranoia and hallucination. Kim, the birthday girl’s alcoholic mother, simmers with resentment toward her ex-husband and his youthful new bride. Orlaith, the loquacious nanny, brings an intriguing layer of mystique with her apparent special gifts. And then there’s Mikayla, the awkward best friend whose quiet complexity hints at depths her peers overlook. Each of these women plays a pivotal role in the escalating tension of the night, and as readers, we’re tasked with piecing together how their stories intertwine.

The slow build may not suit every reader, but for those who relish rich character development, the payoff arrives in a thrilling crescendo. It’s a book that rewards your investment, leaving you satisfied as the threads of these vivid personalities finally weave together.

“Party of Liars” was a sufficiently entertaining read, with a fast pace and plenty of intrigue to keep me turning the pages. However, the red herrings were a little too obvious, making them feel more like distractions than genuine misdirection. The real villain was predictable from the start, which took away some of the tension.