Loved this multi POV book with Lucy Foley vibes. Recommended for anyone who likes morally gray characters who make truly terrible decisions.

If you love stories where everyone's a suspect, The New Year's Party is for you! From the very beginning, Satterthwaite had me wondering who was killed and why, and it seemed like every one of the colorful party guests had motive. None of the characters in The New Year's Party have "success stories" you'd be proud to tell at a high school reunion, and I loved learning about the history behind all of their dysfunctional relationships. I really enjoyed Satterthwaite's writing, and there were several reveals and a few twists that kept me guessing until the end.

I recommend The New Year's Party to readers who enjoy multi-POV stories, "ugly" characters with dysfunctional relationships, locked-room mysteries, and murderous twists.

The set up for this book is so, so fun. A group of friends get together for a party after a long period of not seeing each other. Someone dies... but we won't know who until the end. Every single character has a potential motive, and a potential reason for ending up as the dead body. It's the kind of book that is so honest about what you're getting into that it becomes hard to stop flipping pages.

I was a TINY bit worried for how many POV characters this book has—this is something I tend to struggle with as a reader. But I was delighted to find that I found the characters distinct enough from one another that it didn't bother me, I think in part this was helped by fairly short chapters which weren't so long that I forgot who the chapter had been titled for. The author does a really good job of ensuring that each character is paired off so that also helps to keep who is who straight.

Ultimately, I found this concept really fun and didn't want to stop reading. In a weird way, this was one of those books that kind of felt like a warm hug when I went back to it after pausing; like I was checking back in with friends (albeit, messy and traumatic ones).

This gets 5 stars because it kept me turning the pages and wanting to know what would come next. Any book that does that is an instant 5-star, even if I have some qualms about anything else in the story.

I did enjoy the premise of this one quite a bit. The big party, the secrets from the past, and the way it all comes together to an inevitable catastrophe.

Honestly, I couldn't relate to a single one of these characters. They all seemed extremely unhealthy in so many ways, and I just don't get it when people are in their 30s and still dragging around shit from when they were teenagers/early twenties. Of course, it makes sense that a few of them might be, but all of them? Like, get your life in order! Which makes me sound like the judgey bitch character, Jenn, except that I'm not an insane religious fanatic who can't handle it. I just don't get it.

That being said, the trainwreck was sufficiently interesting to keep me reading, proving that we can and do enjoy stories with characters we don't "relate" to.

I love a multi-POV story, and this one was definitely that! The voices all felt distinct, and we do get a good feeling for each of the characters, so that was well done. I was a bit surprised/confused about the choice to alter the tense of the writing amongst the POVs though. From third person past to first person present was a bit jarring every time it happened. I have to assume it was a conscious decision, but it still felt odd to me. This is totally my opinion though, and other readers may not even notice, or may actually love that change.

I thought the use of italics for emphasis was overdone as well, but again, that is a personal tick, and not something that would or should bother anyone else.

I figured out the mystery fairly early on, and even the twist at the end, and the catalyst for the true murderer, but I read these kinds of stories all the time, so it is very difficult to trick me.

The writing is good, the characters feel real, and the story will keep you reading. So pick this one up! Maybe it'll be your perfect holiday read when you need to escape the in-laws' party so you don't end up killing someone.

This book was a bit slow in the beginning but once the story line kicked off it turned out to be a really good exciting read can’t wait for others to read it

Jenna Satterthwaite’s The New Year’s Party is the perfect blend of comedy, chaos, and mystery that will have you laughing, gasping, and suspecting everyone at the same time. Olivia and her friends are determined to revive their old tradition of ringing in the new year together—minus the years of burnout, parenting stress, and life drama. But as the champagne flows and the party hits its peak, secrets begin to slip out, and suddenly, this isn’t your average soirée. What starts as a night of promises to "leave it all behind" quickly turns into a rollercoaster of revelations, faux pas, and oh no moments. The author brilliantly captures the messy, complicated web of adult friendship—complete with sarcastic banter, relatable struggles, and enough secrets to keep everyone guessing. Just when you think you’ve figured out who might be jealous, desperate, or disturbed enough for murder, Satterthwaite throws a curveball that leaves you reeling. The characters are charmingly flawed, and their interactions feel both authentic and hilarious—because let’s face it, isn’t that what friendship is really about? With every secret that comes out, you’ll be questioning who’s trustworthy…and who’s just hiding something deadly. This story proves that sometimes, the best way to start fresh is with a little chaos—and maybe a murder or two.