This is definitely one of my favourite books this year. I couldn’t put it down once I started it and finished it in almost one sitting.
It’s the perfect domestic thriller that comes packed with intriguing characters, various twists and a fabulous ending.
It’s definitely worthy of 5 stars and one that I’ll definitely be recommending to others.

Wow!!! Didn't see that coming. Probably because the character building was so good that I missed it. What a great read.

Raced through this book and what a read it was! I loved the twists, turns and even the few nasties that were in the storyline. Kept me guessing right to the end. Excellent thriller and will be looking out for other books written by this author!
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this book

I always enjoy reading Shalini Boland’s books, and this book was no different. It was easy to read, albeit a bit predictably. I was unfortunately able to guess the ending of the story which took a little bit of the fun away, but overall it was a good book.

Shalini Boland is one of my favourite authors and I was very pleased to receive her latest book, The Birthday Party. It was supposed to be a wonderful day full of excitement and for six young girls who gather to celebrate their friend’s birthday at an ice rink. Natalie and her husband Theo hope this will be a day the girls will remember for a long time. Not long after the worst thing imaginable happens, one of the little girls disappears, her niece, and is unable to be found. For Natalie this will be an event that haunts her for many years after her niece Ellie is the child that is never to be seen again. Desperate for Natalie enlists the help of a private investigator, someone must know something.

The book commences at a fast pace, and I was immediately drawn into the story, as always Shalini throws many surprises at us, but I do have to say that they did take a while to appear, slowing down the story in the middle of the book. However, in true form the author brings it all together and in the second half of the book everything picked up and I was at the edge of my seat as revelations were revealed and the story was brought to an exciting end. I will now look forward to what comes next from this wonderful author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

Another great read by Shalini. Gets straight in to the action. I really liked Natalie and the way she was written was realistic. I did guess one of the twists but not the final one!

Missing child story that pivots between two timelines.
It definitely had a gripping start but I felt like it got draggy and repetitive. Also I agree with Theo, the FMC was a pushover

When I read the half page prologue, and learned a child had been stolen, I was immediately drawn in to the intrigue of this novel.

The book opens with the Christmas-time birthday party of Georgia, the only child of a working couple, Theo and Natalie. They live in the beach side town, Bournemouth, England, and Georgia’s 8th birthday party is being held at an ice rink where costumed characters skate amongst the guests, and greet the children. While Natalie is off the ice briefly to attend to a child who fell, Theo desperately tries to keep eyes on the other children. In the blink of an eye, one of the children, 6 year old, Elle, their niece, is nowhere to be found. After a thorough search of the premises by the rink staff, and the police, Natalie calls her sister Jo, who comes to the rink and finds her daughter is missing. Despite the search efforts of the police, the townspeople, and family, Elle is not found, and there are few clues to her disappearance other than a costumed dog, who wasn’t part of the ice rink staff, had been seen on the ice, and subsequently disappeared.
The family, especially Elle”s single mom Jo (dad unknown) is devastated when the search goes cold. Jo is unable to work, loses her apartment and her job, and moves in with Theo, Natalie and Georgia. Having Jo live with them is partly due to compassion and partly due to guilt. Jo is also comforted by her best friend Ollie, a local young man who went to school with Jo and has always loved her. Jo, however, is happy to not spoil their friendship with a love affair - they slept together just once, which Jo considered a mistake. Nevertheless, Ollie stood by Jo and was always there to comfort her.

Fast forward 10 years, Elle was never found, the case went cold, but at the 10 year anniversary of the kidnapping, the media decided to revive interest in the case and see if any clues would come forward. Also at the 10th anniversary, Natalie and Theo plan a huge birthday celebration for Georgia since most of her birthdays were low key due to what happened at her party years ago.
Of note, years earlier Natalie had taken out a loan and hired a private investigator to find clues to Elle’s disappearance but it was another dead end. Also of note, Jo still lives with Natalie and Theo, now in a separate apartment in their home, yet still underfoot and floundering. Jo works menial jobs, sleeps around, drinks and parties, and seems purposeless and depressed. Jo’s parents have given up on her, Theo wants Jo to move out and move on. Jo’s only supporters are her sister Nat and Ollie, who is with her almost daily.
The book chapters go back and forth from past to present. Many chapters are mundane life details, and conversations about Nat and Theo not having privacy, Georgia growing up and finishing high school, but much of the guilt and anguish they all feel is not discussed among any of them.
I felt the middle of the book moved slowly, and I wasn’t sure where the story was heading. About the time of the 10 year revival of the kidnapping by the media, and Georgia’s big 18th party at a club, there was a surprising turn of events. At that point, the story picked up speed and there were multiple twists and turns and a shocking conclusion. It is true to form as a thriller, for sure.
The book was well-written, excellent character development. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 due to what I felt was a slump in the action in the middle of the book. The last few chapters more than hit the mark with suspense, and truly unexpected turns of events. Much of what was wondered throughout the book made perfect sense in the end. I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t read the author before, but I will read other of her books now.
I am grateful to Net Galley and Amazon UK for providing a copy of The Birthday Party to read and comment. My review is solely my opinion.

A party. A nightmare. A child gone without a trace. It started out as a party: six little girls gliding and giggling at the ice rink to celebrate Natalie’s daughter’s eighth birthday. But by Natalie’s next head count, it’s turned into a crime scene. Six children went onto the ice and now there are just five. Nobody saw her niece, Elle, being taken. Nobody saw the person in a cartoon costume lure her quietly away! A bit of a heartbreaking thriller with some crazy twists! It had great suspense, mystery, murder, child kidnapping, gaslighting, and some crazy twists and turns! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

A suspenseful read with many twists and turns. I highly recommend reading, along with other Shalini Boland reads, she never disappoints.

#TheBirthdayParty #NetGalley
A gripping, emotional thriller about guilt, secrets, and the devastating ripple effects of one tragic day.
In The Birthday Party, Shalini Boland masterfully draws readers into a chilling nightmare that begins with a child's birthday celebration and spirals into a decade-long mystery. What should have been a joyful day turns horrifying when Natalie’s niece, Elle, vanishes from the ice rink without a trace. No witnesses. No clues. Just a gaping hole where a little girl should have been—and a family forever changed.
For ten long years, Natalie shoulders the crushing guilt of what happened on her watch, standing by her sister Jo as they endure endless pain and unanswered questions. But as the tenth anniversary of Elle’s disappearance approaches, Jo’s growing fear that someone is stalking her suggests that the past isn’t finished with them yet. As hidden truths come to light, Natalie and Jo must confront secrets that could tear apart everything they thought they knew.
What I like:-
1 Emotional depth: The story explores the raw emotions of grief, guilt, and sisterhood with powerful authenticity.
2 Relentless suspense: Boland keeps the tension high with short chapters, shocking twists, and a ticking clock feel.
3 Realistic characters: Natalie and Jo’s struggles feel heartbreakingly real, making it easy to root for them even as their world unravels.
Overall, The Birthday Party is a haunting, fast-paced thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night. With expert pacing and deep emotional resonance, Shalini Boland proves once again why she's a must-read for fans of domestic suspense.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazing Publishing UK for giving me an advance copy.

Another brilliant book from one of my favourite authors which I always enjoy. I was involved in the storyline from the start with great characters who I felt I knew personally.

It was an intense read and I felt on a number of occasions that I knew who the culprit was but by the ending I was wrong.

What an ending it was and everything was brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book and thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this brilliant ARC.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY BY SHALINI BOLAND.
Release date set for the 15th of May 2025.
WOAH I didn't see that coming.
The twist 🤯
There's many emotions while reading this story from despair, guilt, sadness and heartbreak.
It was very suspenseful and a great read.
This is my first book by this author and it won't be the last.

Natalie and her husband Theo take their daughter Georgia and her friends to the local ice-skating rink to celebrate her eight birthday. In a split-second one of the girls vanishes and is nowhere to be found, but this little girl happens to be Natalie’s niece, Elle. Having to tell her sister Jo that her daughter has gone missing on her watch only adds to the heartbreak for Natalie.
Jo’s life falls apart without her daughter and she soon looses her home and job. Riddled with guilt, Natalie and Theo convert their garage to a self-contained flat for Jo. This adds to the already strained relationship brought about following the little girl’s disappearance. There is no trace of Elle despite the police investigations, a search by friends and family and extensive media coverage.
Time moves on and there is new interest in the case as the tenth anniversary of Elle’s disappearance moves closer. For Natalie, the anniversary brings a more intense sense of foreboding and overshadows what should be an exciting time, her daughter’s eighteenth birthday. The family relationships continue to be strained but Natalie is determined to spoil Georgia on her special birthday, especially as those over the last decade have been eclipsed by her cousin’s disappearance. As the party draws nearer, a tenuous lead on Elle’s whereabouts comes to light and with this comes the reveal of some long-hidden secrets which will impact their lives forever.
What an amazing book. Shalini is one of my favourite authors who’s books I pick up without a second thought, but this one is just incredible. Although the plot is told in the main as two separate time periods, it is easy to follow and just adds to the compelling nature of the story. I was totally immersed in this book and zoomed through it in a matter of days, I just couldn’t put it down. By far one of the most gripping and enjoyable books I have read this year.
A very easy 5 stars!

So good! And the twists kept coming. Really enjoyed reading this one.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC!

Another great, fast paced thriller. I always know a Shalini book will keep me guessing all the way to the epilogue. I love thrillers, but tend to guess the plot twist early on. But I never do with these.

Thanks to both Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC!

I am a fan of Shalini Boland, so of course I jumped onto the chance to read her newest book early. And what can I say, it did not disappoint!

Sure, the missing child trope is nothing new, but this book was gripping, and full of twists, and making me stay up way too late in order to read 'just one more chapter' while trying to figure out what happened to Natalie’s niece Elle, who did vanish during the birthday party of her own daughter. Why does Jo - Elle's mother - is convinced someone is stalking her when the tenth anniversary of the incident comes closer? Who does know the truth about that day, and why did they not come forward yet? If you want to find an answer to those questions as well, go and read the book! Highly recommended!

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍-𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈...𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈.

Natalie is celebrating her daughter's 8th birthday with some little girls at the ice skating rink. It's close to Christmas, and there's a feeling of festivity in the air. She's tasked with watching her niece Elle while her younger sister enjoys a night out at the pub. Elle is a few years younger, but she's well-behaved and never gives anyone a cause for worry--until Natalie loses sight of her and realizes that Elle is gone.

Through an unnamed POV, the reader gets a first person account of who is responsible for Elle's disappearance, with all the nervous anticipation that would go along with attempting the daring feat of taking a child in the midst of so many people.

The years slip away, the family has given up hope. I really liked that the main focus was on what happens to the people left behind--the author did a great job navigating the conflicting emotions of Natalie and her family; the overwhelming guilt and shame of feeling at fault. When the identity of the person responsible was revealed, I was in total shock, and I hadn't fully recovered when I was thrown for another loop.

This was so much more than just a missing persons domestic thriller. It's the story of the quiet suffering an entire family went through because of the act of one person. While I would have liked a little more from the unnamed POV, this was a thrilling early read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer Publishing for the early copy. This book will publish May 15, 2025.

A child's birthday party at the ice rink in Bournemouth gardens ends in heartache when one of the children is missing, presumed abducted. What a gripping start!

The bulk of the book deals with the 10 year anniversary and the impact that Elle's disappearance had on her family; her cousin who was the birthday girl, her aunt and uncle, the party hosts, and of course, her mother, Jo, whose behaviour and attitude made me feel for Natalie and Theo, who she lived with after her daughter's disappearance. I didn't particularly like Jo and would have preferred that the book focussed more on the mystery of Elle's disappearance and the hunt for her, rather than her spiralling life.

Once a clue as to what really happened to Elle is uncovered, the pace really picks up and wow! There were some truly heartstopping twists and also some really tender and emotional moments. A brilliant ending!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Shalini Boland and Amazon Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Just loved everything about this book.
When little Elle goes missing a really tragic tale begins.
Its all set in an area of the country that i used to live in which made it easy for me to visualize the surroundings.
Brilliant storyline and an ending which came as a great surprise!!
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
Easy five stars from me.