★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

It was a day that they would never forget...

I have read most of Shalini's psychological thrillers (except for the first few before I discovered her) and she's always been my go-to author for a good fast-paced quick and thrilling read. And while the last few have failed to live up to the calibre of her previous ones, this one smashes them out of the ballpark! It is probably her best yet with this publisher and it was like reading the Shalini of old. And best of all, it keeps you guessing until the very end.

THEN: Natalie's daughter Georgia wanted an ice skating party for her 8th birthday with her best friends and since she was a December baby (welcome to my world), they had themed characters skating the ice along with the children. What more could any little girl want? So Natalie and husband Theo were tasked with the care of six little girls - Georgia, four of her friends and her 6 year old cousin, Elle. Six little girls went onto the ice...and now only just five remain.

When Georgia's best friend Sasha falls on the ice, Natalie takes her off for a few minutes to recover and thus becomes momentarily distracted. When she looks back, she counts five of them and finds Elle is missing. Frantic, Natalie informs Theo and they immediately take the girls off the ice and try searching for young Elle. When there is no immediate sign of her, Natalie calls the police. Though she dreads telling her sister Jo that she has lost her six year old daughter.

NOW: Ten years later and Natalie is planning Georgia's 18th birthday. But as always, her birthday is shadowed by Elle's disappearance a decade before. How could they possibly celebrate? But every year, Georgia's birthday has been a subdued affair but this year she is 18 and she deserves to celebrate.

Their lives have stalled since that day ten years ago. For Jo, the mother whose child disappeared; for Natalie and Theo, the ones in charge of all six girls; and for Georgia, whose birthday has never been the same again because to celebrate it would be like forgetting that it was also the day her cousin disappeared. Everyone is stuck in a kind of rut but no one more so than Jo who, understandably lost a child but her behaviour just went from bad to worse. She couldn't face going back to their flat so instead moved in with Natalie and her family, thus placing undue pressure on them. They even converted their garage into a self contained garden flat for Jo so that they could all have their own privacy. Over the course the past decade, they each found their own ways of coping whilst also sweeping everything under the carpet to maintain the peace and stop from upsetting Jo's unstable equilibriam.

But then Natalie receives a phone call from the past and suddenly a new lead offers new hope. Could this be it? Will they finally learn what happened to Elle all those years ago? Or will it be another colossal waste of time?

The story unfolds in the past and present timeline in Natalie's first person narrative with a few chapters by an unknown narrator interspersed throughout. All through the tale the reader is kept guessing - even me! And I could usually pick them! I did have a few suspects but then when Shalini threw in her trademark twist it knocked all my theories out of the water. Although funnily enough, the twists were some of the theories I had pondered but not quite settled on. In fact, I got them around the wrong way! So in effect, I did guess them correctly but in the wrong order. LOL

As for Jo. I get she lost her daughter and that has to be a mother's worst nightmare. But I just could not warm to her. I found her to be completely selfish and too dependant on Natalie, expecting her to clean up her messes each and every time - because she knows exactly that's what Natalie would do. I was incredibly frustrated by her behaviour and though some of it may have been part of her grief, as Natalie ruminates her sister has always been "a bit flaky". Even events prior to Elle's disappearance show her selfish nature. After her daughter disappears, she is quite happy to sponge off her sister and husband indefinitely without contributing to household costs or making an effort around the house. And she always expect Natalie to come running at her beck and call, regardless of boundaries or her own accountability (of which she had none). I didn't like her at all. I think it was because of her that I knocked off half a star.

Despite my incredible dislike of Jo, this is a thrilling fast paced quick read from start to finish that is wholly entertaining.

I would like to thank #ShaliniBoland, #Netgalley and #AmazonPublishing for an ARC of #TheBirthdayParty in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Another great book by Shalini Boland. Full of twists and a great ending that I didn't see coming. Recommended
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Wonderful Shalini Boland it again! Never disappoints and always with such relatable and genuine characters! I loved the pace and the thrills thanks for sharing!!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Wow, what an excellent book! Though the author, Shalini Boland, is a great author so why am I surprised.

The story follows a family celebrating their daughter - Georgia's 8th birthday party at an ice skating rink with her friends and her 6 year old cousin, Elle. Suddenly they realise that Elle is not with the other girls and chaos ensues, everyone looking for her. The story then skips 10 years in the future and what the lives of the people look like now.

The story flips between present day (10 years on from the day Elle goes missing) back to the past, when Elle goes missing.

The story has some great twists in and is written very well. I will be recommending this book to lots of people.

Great idea for a book! This was my second read by Shalini Boland, and I was eager to delve into another. At first, the story was quite gripping, and I didn’t want to put it down. However, eventually it became a little too drawn out and I found myself getting annoyed with some of the main characters continuously making the same mistakes and wrong decisions. It’s still worth the read - especially if you’re a Boland fan. 3.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC.

I’ve read almost everything that Shalini Boland has written and they keep getting better. As a parent this book hit my nerves hard and kept me on edge. The twists are amazing. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A little girl goes missing at a birthday party for her cousin. No one saw her leave the ice-skating rink with someone dressed in a dog costume. Ten years later her family is still reeling from the trauma, while they also try to remain hopeful that she’ll still be found.

The Birthday Party has two timelines – then and ten years later. Natalie, the little girl’s aunt, feels the brunt of the guilt and at the same time her mother, Jo, is struggling to cope with her grief. For the most part, the two timelines work well and help give the reader a sense of the frustrations and sorrow the various characters are experiencing. But, at the same time, there does seem to be quite a bit of repeated self-recrimination (especially from Natalie) that becomes a little tedious.

The final few chapters produced several imaginative and unexpected twists that really did change my opinion of some of the characters. Overall enjoyable, I would give The Birthday Party 3.5 stars but will bump the rating up to 4 stars. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

This is one of those stories that brings up your most horrible fears as a parent and thus, I became hooked! The middle part where they're enduring this tragic event but moving on with their lives was harder to get through for the not knowing but Ms. Boliand manages to make even everyday events tense with excitement! The twists at the ending were wonderful but shocking as well, especially the very last page! OMG!

Prepare to be drawn into a chilling enigma with Shalini Boland's latest thriller, The Birthday Party. What begins as a day of innocent celebration at an ice rink shatters into every parent's worst nightmare when a child vanishes without a trace. Boland masterfully weaves a tale of escalating dread, where the lines between reality and suspicion blur with each turn of the page.

Decades pass, but the ghost of that fateful day lingers, a silent predator in the lives of those left behind. Long-buried secrets claw their way to the surface, and the unsettling feeling that someone knows the truth, someone is watching, grips you in a vise of suspense. The Birthday Party is a rollercoaster of twists and turns, a psychological labyrinth that will keep you guessing until the final, breathtaking revelation. Boland proves once again why she is a master of the thriller genre, delivering a story that is both mesmerizing and deeply unsettling. If you crave a read that will haunt your thoughts long after you've turned the last page, step into The Birthday Party – if you dare.

Check out this teaser :

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.

Traumatised by what happened on her watch, Natalie spends the next decade supporting her sister, Jo, as the years since Elle’s abduction tick by. But as the tenth anniversary approaches, Jo becomes convinced that someone is stalking her—someone who knows the truth about that day on the ice.

As long-buried secrets start to surface, the sisters must relive the horror of losing Elle—and watch the world as they know it shatter before their eyes.

I've enjoyed previous books by this author, but this one didn't quite hit the same.
The premise seems to be a common one lately: a missing child, and to be honest I don't think I'll be reading any more with this theme.
The story starts off well, but the pace wanes and starts to become repetitive and I started to think the entire thing was just completely improbable.
Towards the end, the pace does pick up again, although by then I didn't feel all that invested in the characters.
However, I did like the rather realistic ending. For me, it redeemed things somewhat as it didn't try to sugar-coat the situation.

Shalini Boland has done it again. Another thrilling book full of solid character building and suspense... right to the very end. Enjoyed this one immensely.

When Elle disappears at Georgia’s birthday party, her aunt and uncle blame themselves for not looking after her properly. Elle’s mum goes to live with them, putting huge pressures on their marriage. When the 10th anniversary of Elle’s disappearance comes round, old memories resurface.
I did enjoy this book but it was quite repetitive with chapters alternating between how bad everyone felt then and how bad they still feel now. The conclusion was far fetched but interesting. Not my favourite Shalini Boland book but still a good read.

Thank you Netgalley, Shalini Boland and Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer for the eArc of The Birthday Party.

I have enjoyed Shalini Boland books before so I was really pleased getting this eArc. What I like about Shalini books is both her writing style and her little plot twists which makes for a very quick read. I devoured this book within a day and whilst some of the twists are predictable with the nice foreshadowing, there's a couple I didn't see coming!

I also listened to the audiobook who is narrated by Clare Corbett, who I love listening to for these domestic psychological thriller's.

A solid 4 stars

It should have been a joyous, family event-an 8 year old little girl's ice skating party in the weeks before Christmas turns tragic when her 6 year old cousin is taken from the rink-and never seen again. When Natalie's niece Elle disappears after her daughter's birthday party, the guilt and grief are indescribable. Ten years later, as the anniversary approaches, Natalie's sister Jo becomes convinced someone is stalking her-and knows what happened that day at the rink. Told in alternating timelines, long buried secrets will emerge that culminate in the horrible truth to Elle's disappearance. Readers are given glimpses into the perpetrator's thoughts as short chapters are devoted to their perspective but the main point of view is Natalie's perspective-then and now. Shalini Boland's trademark twists-especially at the end-round this 3.5 star read up to 4 stars. If you're looking for a quick, popcorn style mystery with a couple unexpected surprises pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Shalini Boland is one of my must-read authors, so I knew I was in for a ride with this one. And I wasn't disappointed!
Playing on every parent's worst nightmare, the story instantly had my heart racing, and it very quickly became a read I couldn't put down.
I felt immediate empathy for Natalie. I felt her desperation and guilt, and as the story progressed, I found myself utterly desperate to find out what really happened.
And that twist?!?! Shocking!
Absolutely captivating and heart-poundingly intense! It's definitely a must-read!

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one had me hooked from the first chapter — a picture-perfect winter birthday party that turns into every parent’s worst nightmare when one of the young guests disappears. Classic Boland: quick chapters, sharp twists, and just enough suspicion to make you question everyone.

On the evening of Natalie and Theo's daughter, Georgia's, eighth birthday party, all is going well at the ice skating rink until one of Georgia's friends takes a spill. While Natalie hurries over to the young girl, Theo is left watching the other girls swirling around him. When Natalie returns, they realize they are one child short when they count the girls. And the girl is their six year old niece, Elle - the only child of her younger sister, Jo, who is a single mom. Devastated to make the call, Natalie calls her sister Jo who is enjoying a rare night out. As days pass and there's no sign of Elle, the search is eventually called off.

Ten years late, Georgia is about to turn 18 and Natalie and Theo would like to have a party birthday party again; all parties have ceased since the disappearance of Elle. Natalie takes Jo for a drink to see how Jo would feel about the party and Jo completely understands their need for a party but states she wouldn't be able to attend because it would be too hard.

Despite 10 years passing by, Jo is stilling living with Natalie and Theo who converted an area over the garage into an apartment for her. Jo has a man in her life, Ollie, who seems to feel more about her than she feels about him. But he's a good guy and one that Natalie is thankful for.

But shocking truths emerge when the private investigator Natalie hires delivers unexpected news. It appears the disappearance of Elle may have been orchestrated by someone they know. What does Natalie do now? Does she confirm the information herself? Does she go to the possible source and demand answers? Or will someone do anything to keep the lies buried?

This was a four star read for me and certainly kept me guessing beginning to end. While I had a hunch "whodunit" I always enjoy finding out whether or not I'm correct and how that information will come to light for the characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Shalini Boland, and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read this thrilling story in exchange for a review.

If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you can read and/or listen to this free as of this post (5.21.25)!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I really enjoyed the intrigue in this one. The mystery of where the little girl had gone. i am a huge fan of Shalini Boland! Love her books. This was well written and I never saw any of the twists coming!

What starts as a cheerful kids’ party quickly spirals into every parent’s nightmare. The Birthday Party is a twisty, fast-paced thriller that’s easy to devour in a sitting (or two). Shalini Boland knows how to keep the suspense high and the pages turning, this is perfect for fans of domestic drama with a side of mystery.

Another great book from Shalini Boland. Plenty twists along the way and an ending that I didnt see coming. Highly recommended
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review. Loved it !

The Birthday Party by Shalini Boland was another excellent psychological thriller. This was a book that will have you gripped from the very beginning especially the way Shalini writes, she always has a way of drawing you in and you will find it hard to put her books down. This book was No different and I ended up reading it in 1 sitting. The Birthday Party is full of brilliant twists and turns throughout, I could not get enough of this book, I loved it.

I highly recommend this latest book by Shalini - one of her best!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC.