When the fancy invites to a lavish villa party arrive on Simone, Vicky, and Hannah’s doorsteps, they’re shocked to find their ex-friend Jodie’s name emblazoned on them. With doubts, they decide to make the trip and maybe get some much-needed closure from when Jodie betrayed them years ago. However, Jodie is shocked to see them when they arrive, and bizarre things start happening the moment they all reunite.

THE BIRTHDAY REUNION by Claire Seeber packs a punch with short chapters, alternating timelines and POVs, and a lavish villa in Ibiza.

I really enjoyed the slow-burn pacing and the lead-up to all of the wtf moments, and liked seeing the pieces fall together as everyone’s past and present stories are revealed.

It was really easy to read “just one more chapter” since they were so short and normally ended on a cliffhanger, and that had me devouring this one relatively quickly.

However, the last 25% really took a nosedive with the amount of characters and motives, and the way the mystery was dragged out from chapter to chapter. It boggled me and I didn’t feel the payoff was really worth it by the end.

***tw: rape***

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: April 18, 2023