The Birthday Girl

Dear Carys, Zoe and Andrea Come and join me for my fortieth birthday adventure weekend, full of mysteries and surprises the like of which you can’t imagine.

When Joanne’s friends reluctantly accept an invitation to her birthday party, it quickly becomes clear that there is more to this weekend than they are expecting. One of them is hiding a secret. And Joanne is planning to reveal it…

A weekend away in a cottage in the woods sounds like fun – until no one can hear your cries for help.

Four friends. A party to die for. Who will survive?

Wow,Omg,I absolutely loved this well written,gripping,intense,fast paced,twist packed thriller.The story is mainly voiced by Carys whose narrative isn't exactly reliable.Interspersed throughout the book are parts that are voiced by a unknown person whose identity when it was revealed took me totally by surprise.I thought I had worked out who the person was but I was 100% wrong.The story hooks you in from the very first page,the sense of unease building as Carys,Andrea and Zoe travel to their mysterious destination where Joanne is waiting for them.Once they get to the cottage that's where the fun and games begin,all four of the women have secrets,could one of them have revenge on her mind? or is someone else playing sick games and terrorizing the four women for their own personal reasons?.All the characters are realistic and believable,Andrea was definitely my favourite,if she had something to say,she said it whether you like what she said or not.The setting was perfect for some intense,gripping action scenes that had me holding my breath,frantically turning the pages and snarling at anyone who dared to interrupt me while I was reading.

I absolutely loved this riveting psychological thriller,the plot is compelling and intricate and has more twists and turns than the river that flows near the cottage.I would love to give this book far more than 5 stars.Highly recommended by little old me.

4 friends set off on a suprise birthday weekend away. Joanne arranges it all for her 3 friends. What a lovely friend she is. Or is she? Is there a motive behind the weekend away? What exactly has she got planned. Almost from the word go the women feel uneasy with how things are playing out. Then things start to take a nasty turn. I loved this book. Good mix of characters. Well written book with lots of twists and turns. Was hard to put down once you started. Highly recommended

Wow. This book is a enthralling psychological thriller.
The story is exciting, intense and leaves you unclear about what is actually being played until the end. While reading, you constantly change the potential offender. Even if you have a guess towards the end, you still remain in the dark for some time and puzzling in silence.
The reflection of the friendship of the four women is also interesting. Trust is changing in distrust. Secrets cause suspicions and conjectures. A family drama turns into a nightmare. Friends become enemies.

The Birthday Girl is easily in my top 5 reads of 2018! Pure brilliance!
Sue just has this natural way of building genuine, hair-raising tension that I rarely come across - and I read A LOT!
I’ll be recommending this book for a long time to come.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.