Glitzy, chilling, and full of secrets, Party of Liars had me hooked. What starts as a Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen quickly spirals into a locked-room murder mystery with deadly consequences. Twists fly as the guest list unravels—everyone has something to hide, and no one is safe. I really enjoyed listening to this one! I definitely couldn’t have guessed what was going to happen.

The more I listened to 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?

So many twists and turns. Was not expecting this. But bravo. Loved every part of it. What a wild and amazing ride!!

This book has it all-romance, revenge, and lots of psychological twits. Awesome setting! I saw this book unfolding like a made for tv movie right before my eyes. I was fortunate to have access to an advanced reader copy of the audio version of this and was not disappointed.

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 . . .

So so many characters! The adults have their own storyline and the 16 year olds have their storyline. The dual plots are deep with innuendo, hints, secrets, and unrest.
Adults: Ethan Matthew’s and Dani, a former coffee girl turned baker, have baby Charlotte. His ex-wife Kim is a disbarred vet and mother to their 16 year old daughter Sophie. At the extravagant sweet sixteen of Sophie, it is just as much a party for the adults as it is the kids. A ton of gossips, secret conversations and history between them all leads for a tense and suspenseful party. The kids mostly revolve around Sophie, her best friend Michaela and boy toy Mason. The catalyst for the concern amongst the guests is that Dani may be going crazy. She sees things and Ethan has hired an Irish Nanny. The house itself is haunted and tales of The Mother who lost her baby add enough folk lore drama that the reader may believe in the supernatural. The author does a good job of hiding who dies, but it is clear that this party ends traumatically.
I found myself getting bored with one night story line. There was a lot of character backlash building, but at times it ran repetitive and stale. The ending saved the story.
I recommend this to high school and above due to underage drinking and sexual content.
Topics: mystery, controlling spouses, motherhood, postpartum, haunted tales

#netgallery

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.

I'm a big fan of listening to thrillers rather than eyeball reading them, and I'm so glad I got the audiobook for this book. I'm also a big fan of multiple unreliable perspectives, especially when there's a full cast for the audiobook version, and this book definitely delivered on both.

It was a bit twisty, I was never sure where the book was going to go. Some red flags turned into red herrings, and there were multiple moments that I thought, "Oh, now I understand."

I'm looking forward to reading whatever Kelsey Cox comes up with next.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley, for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

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
I listened to the audio, which was done with full cast narration, and it was fantastic!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Party of Liars is a ride. Told from five different points of view and moving across past, present, and future timelines, it’s the kind of book that demands your attention—and earns it. The story centers on Sophie’s Sweet 16, which starts as a birthday bash and quickly twists into a murder mystery. From there, things spiral, and you’re left piecing it all together along with the characters.

What makes this book really work is how much is packed into it, without ever feeling bloated. There’s drama, secrets, tension, and enough plot threads to keep your brain buzzing, but it’s all handled with control. Every POV adds something. Each character is written with depth, flaws, and a real sense of being human - not just plot devices.

The narration is a standout. With five different voices, the audiobook brings each perspective to life, making it even easier to track the shifts in time and character. It’s not just good voice acting - it’s immersive storytelling.

Bottom line: This book has a lot going on, and that’s exactly what makes it such a compelling listen. If you’re into layered narratives, well-developed characters, and murder mysteries that don’t insult your intelligence, this one’s for you.

Thank you, @netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC/ARC.

Great read!!! I loved this story!! Sucked you into the plot line right from the beginning. I loved finding out why the title was selected. And learning who was the liar. Gaslighting on a new level. Great job Kelsey Cox!!

I received the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The narration featured Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld, and Suzy Jackson. I loved how the use of multiple narrators gave each character a unique voice and truly brought the story to life.

I did enjoy the story, though it wasn’t quite what I expected. It’s a slowly unfolding family drama that builds toward the reveal of who died—a mystery hinted at from the very beginning

Publication Date- Jul 01 2025
#PartyofLiars #NetGalley

3stars. I received the Audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. While I enjoyed the book, there was just so much happening in this party that you had to really use your brain power to keep up with the names and characters. There were a few mystery elements, but it mainly follows the women in Sophie's dad's life. I don't remember reading any trigger warnings I could have missed them, but there should be for a specific scene with a minor that could rub someone the wrong way. I did enjoy the ending it had a little twist that I wasn't expecting but booooy did it make perfect sense!

4 stars for Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox.

I received an advance audiobook copy from netgalley.

Party of Liars gives a YA vibe, with the main storyline being a sweet 16 party. The narration fits the YA feel and was well done.

While I give this book a 4 stars, it isn't a very full or descriptive story. You get enough of everyone's back stories to keep it interesting. However there isn't much in the way of character development.

I did think the different twist (or twists) were great and kept me guessing.

An interesting psychological thriller that's a quick read and not too deep.

This was a pretty quick and easy listen. Did I love it? No. It was portrayed as a "whodunnit" but honestly felt very drama induced verses mystery/thriller. There were a lot of secrets and that kept the story entertaining but I absolutely hated the characters and the fact that they all had POVs made it annoying. I finished the book and was glad for it to end.

Rounding up from 2.5 stars
I was excited to read this locked-room whodunnit, but quickly realized I was getting something much different from what I signed up for, and it was unfortunately not for me. This was ultimately a slow burn family drama, building up to the reveal of who died in the fall that is alluded to in the very beginning. Unfortunately, the characters are neither very interesting nor likable, which made all of the character background and all the rumination they go through a slog to get through. Much of the chapters that focused on the characters' backstories, particularly Mikayla's earlier chapters, felt very unnecessary, or at the very least, could have been heavily condensed (and yet strangely, Mikayla's arc is the one that feels the most unresolved and left awkwardly hanging because there is no real final chapter written from her perspective). It was not until nearly the 60% mark before I got more invested, and the last third moves much faster and feels much more compelling as we finally start unraveling more of the truth behind these characters, and how they all have more in common than you think. The book is ambitious and seems to try to cover heavy themes like addiction and recovery, toxic relationships, and emotional manipulation, but I thought the exploration of them was unsatisfying. The chapters are short, which made the audiobook easy to listen to, but were also often so short that the jumping around between the four different character POV's felt disjointed, especially with some of the cryptic chapter endings.

The audiobook though is well-done, and has four different narrators for each of the four female character POV's who all have distinct voices, which made it easy to distinguish between the perspectives and made the story more engaging. I likely would have DNF'ed the book if I read a print copy, but consuming this as an audiobook helped me to push through to the last third, which I was able to enjoy a lot more than the first two thirds.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an Advanced Listening Copy!

It is Sophie Matthew's 16th birthday. The birthday party is being held at her father and stepmother's glamourous house in Texas Hill Country. The story weaves back and forth and is told in several POVs. Sophie's best friend, Sophie's mom, the stepmom, and the nanny. We learn about the first marriage, the nanny's daughter, the best friend's obsession, and Sophie's dad, the man that really impacts all of their lives to the extreme.

As I listened, I kept wondering who was telling the truth, who will get hurt at the party, will any of these people find peace.

It was a good enough listen with a whole lot of crazy mixed in 75% of the way through. It went a little over the top in some ways. I did like the way the Nanny's past was weaved in near the end.

One of my favorite narrators worked on this one -Saskia Maarleveld and did a wonderful job as always.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thought and opinions are my own.