Overall a great book. I didn’t understand a few of the British words that was used but still enjoyed it.
The characters were all pretty great.
They had great depth. But the only backstory we learn about is Beth.
The series of events in this book is crazy and keeps you guessing constantly to who “Him” is. I had a few ideas but kinda suspected from the time he was introduced.
A few questions though. I get the whole Lily to Beth thing. But they didn’t really specify why she was arrested in her past. I’m guessing for what they thought was pushing Anna? But they didn’t really say and if the charges were dropped or Anna came out and said that Lily didn’t do anything then why and who was trolling the mom to where ahead had to move and Lily had to reinvent herself?
And who is Carmen? Did I miss something? Did she die or was she just a best friend from long ago that they didn’t talk anymore? I was so confused.
Anyone else?

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

Firstly thank you for my chance to read and review .
It was great to have another book from Angela as I’ve read all her other ones .
This was a great tense book filled with suspense and will captivate you .
Unpredictable and you don’t know who to trust .
It’s a twisty read however there wasn’t much focus on the anniversary party itself despite being the title .
Secrets and lies are revealed and what will happen to the men in Beth’s life ??

The Anniversary Party is a tense domestic thriller full of secrets, lies, and plenty of red herrings. I loved the premise and thought the suspense built nicely—there were moments I suspected everyone! While I didn’t fully connect with Beth as a character, the story itself kept me intrigued and I flew through the short chapters. The ending tied things up in a clever way and definitely delivered on the twists. A solid 3.5 ⭐️ thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!

This is a domestic thriller that was quite a slow burn I found it personally hard to engage with the characters and the party itself formed a small portion of the book. However I did quite like some of the twists and turns in the story and the plot
Kept my guessing.

Beth has it all- a beautiful family, a successful career, and plans for a lavish ten-year wedding anniversary party. But when her former boyfriends/lovers start showing up dead, Beth races to stop the killer before they strike again. Because Beth isn’t really Beth, and she would do anything to stop the truth from getting out.

Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the plot and premise of the book but really struggled to connect with the main character. A big point of contention is the incident that happened in her past, but I had a hard time believing that the incident was really worthy of all of the secrets and stress.

However, I did enjoy the plot of this thriller! Because the pace significantly picks up as the story goes on and the conclusion is a twist, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thriller novels. Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in return for my opinion.

Overall, this was a good read for me. With that said, you will notice I didn't say a great read. While there were some twists and betrayals in this book that I loved, but there were parts for me that weren't relatable or realistic. It threw me off a bit. The ending was great though and I did not guess who the murderer was.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

The Anniversary Party by Angela Clarke follows Beth, who seems to have the perfect family life; until men from her past start dying in strange accidents. Suddenly, she’s forced to face whether her big secret or her picture-perfect life will survive.

I enjoyed this one overall! The characters felt real, and the reveal of the killer genuinely shocked me (always a win when a twist catches me off guard). That said, some of the Rated R mentions felt unnecessary and distracting, and Beth’s constant, random inner thoughts about her secret sometimes pulled me out of the story.

Still, if you love a good twisty read that keeps you guessing, this one’s worth picking up!

Beth is about to celebrate ten years of marriage to the man she adores, Danny - everything is pretty wonderful but is it? Life is slowly unravelling as she realises someone appears to be murdering anyone she has been in a relationship with and she isn't sure how to stop the next murder happening. So this book has provided me with a huge dilemma - what happens when you think the story is quite good but absolutely do not connect with the character the story belongs to. I really thought this was a clever thriller that definitely kept me intrigued and uneasy across the entirety of the book. However I really really did not care about Beth aka Lily - I just didn't understand what all her fuss was about in terms of her previous life and I really struggled to find her worthy of worrying about. It all felt a little bit tragic at times which I'm not sure was the required response. I didn't really totally understand her marriage, the party or even her workplace - and as she was the central element in all these, I think it really was my feelings about Beth that was the problem - she just didn't feel quite right.
The pace certainly builds throughout the story and the conclusion is suitably shocking for a thriller. I do think this will appeal to readers who enjoy a solid use of thriller tropes and there will be many who may be more sympathetic to Beth and her situation. I would lean towards three and half stars as it was a good story overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for a honest opinion.

The Anniversary Party is an addictive domestic thriller packed with tension, secrets, and lies.

The story follows Beth and Danny and their upcoming anniversary. Like all young couples with a young child, jobs, and a home to maintain, they put their relationship on the back burner. Beth wants a party to portray them as the perfect couple. Before the party takes place, Beth's checkered past starts to catch up with her, and her big secret is about to come spilling out. Beth needs to figure out who's threatening to reveal her past and stop them before Danny finds out her lies.

I couldn't stop turning the pages, making this a quick read. The suspense builds slowly before exploding in an unexpected ending. The chapters are short and flow easily, and the writing style is easy to read. The characters are complex but relatable. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the advanced copy

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a solid mystery, though there were a few things to which I didn't connect. The story centers on Beth, who, while approaching her 10-year wedding anniversary, starts seeing that previous sexual conquests from earlier in her life are being murdered. She is in a race against the clock to find out who is doing this before they get to her beloved husband. Even scarier, some of these folks were from when she had a previous name and another whole life, which is a secret she thought no one knew.

The suspense in this book was great and I think I suspected everyone at one point or another. The author did a great job creating realistic red herrings that kept me guessing the whole way through. I was slightly disappointed when the villain was revealed but I do think it was a clever choice. The book was also sufficiently creepy with the notes that Beth keeps finding and the overall premise of the reason for the murders. The couple things I struggled with was why the book was even called "The Anniversary Party" when the party itself was such a small part of the entire storyline; and I felt that the extreme measures Beth took to reinvent herself after the secret she was trying to outrun was unrealistic and exaggerated. I thought the end of the book worked and tied up the loose ends nicely.

Overall, while I didn't love everything about this book, I did think it was a very good read and I appreciated the level of suspense throughout. I'd recommend it to those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Anniversary Party by Angela Clarke follows Beth, who has the perfect family. But when men she had previously loved all started dying in freak accidents, Beth must decide if her secret or her perfect life will survive.
Overall, this book was pretty good. I was shocked by the killer, and I always like when I am taken by surprise. The characters were pretty rounded out and life-like.
However, the mentions of Rated R content were too often and too random. Also, Beth kept thinking about her big secret so randomly, it pulled me out of the story. These instances felt like they had nothing to do with what was being talked about.
Read this if you're looking for a good plot twist!

This is a good read I love the story the characters everything came together I read it so fast thank you for this read

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This was a decent read. It started a bit slow for my liking, but I just came off of finishing a really intense 5 star thriller, I try not to read thrillers back to back but I wanted to get to this one. I think I will be re-reading it next week so I may come back to edit this review. I think it is better then I am giving it credit for so I am going to re-read and come back to this :)

As for now, it was good, not jaw dropping but exciting none the less. I did feel Beth's panic throughout the book, so that was nice to feel that emotional connection. I don't want to give spoilers, but if you love thrillers this is definitely one to add to you TBR.

A storyline full of twists.
A little slow to get going but eventually Beth's secret is revealed.
Not a heart stopper but overall a decent read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This was a unputdownable nail-biting thriller that grips to the very last page. It was a cracking read with brilliantly written characters and a gripping plot.

I have not been so drawn into a book for a long time so much so I sat up for two nights reading it. It did not disappoint there were lots of twists and turns and I loved the ending. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

This sounded amazing and I was really excited about reading it. Sadly, it was not what I was expecting. I found it a bit slow, and by half of it, I was already bored. I mean, the main secret was not so big, and by the end, even the twists fell flat.
I admit I am not in a great mood these days, I'm going to give Angela Clarke another shot, maybe it wasn't the book but my own expectations.

The Anniversary Party tells the story of Beth. She lives in London with her perfect husband Danny. One day she's walking dow Oxford St when she sees the headline on the front page of the Standard. Her first boyfriend has been stabbed to death during a mugging gone wrong. She then receives an anonymous note from someone who claims to know who she is. Oh yes, Beth is keeping a secret from us. Soon enough her ex-boyfriends start being murdered, one-by-one. Who is behind the deaths and how is Beth's secret connected to them?

Little can be said without spoiling the story other it was both addictive and unsettling.

The novel is told mostly from Beth's POV, with a chapter from the POV of a mysterious character, "Him". Beth finds support in her friend from school, Zayn, who is also connected to her dead ex-boyfriends. Is Zayn "Him"? Is it Danny? I kept going back and forth throughout the story. Yes, this is a twisty story, expect flawed, unreliable characters.

Towards the second half of the novel, we finally find out Beth's secret. Oh Beth! Beth also has a dilemma. She's definitely a better person than me hah hah This was such a layered story, it really made me think of actions, consequences, and forgiveness. The pace picks up and Beth is about to solve the mystery when we get another chapter from "Him". The anniversary party finally happens and then WOAH it's twist after twist and then some more.

The writing style is easy to read and fast-paced. I couldn't stop reading it, I had to know what was going to happen. And then the ending hit me right in the face... Ouch! how could I not see it? I gasped out loud!

A solid 5 star read