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bookswithlydscl 's review for:
The Summer Party
by Kate Gray
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Welcome to the biggest event of the year - The Summer Party, a tense and fast paced locked room thriller that is an ideal by the pool/holiday read this summer season.
In this story we meet Mel and the team at Flavour, a fashionable agency who have been invited to hold their summer shindig at the highly exclusive Point Grey Hotel, with only 8 of them winning the draw to stay overnight as VIPS. As the party develops secrets, lies and revenge become the new agenda and everyone invited to stay wonders why they were the 'lucky' ones to be chosen, especially as the bodies start to pile up.
I really enjoyed the structure of this story. Despite its initial slow start, and Mel being a wet blanket, the pace ramped up after the first third and the setting was particularly evocative and effective. I love an isolated setting which gives you 'And Then There Were None' vibes and we had also all the glitz, glamour and cattiness I would expect in this genre of vacation style thriller. I really liked the use of social media, police interviews and news articles interspersed between chapters to help move the story along as well as act as the present POV for the story. It was a more interesting way of doing a dual POV story and kept everything vague enough to want you to keep reading to see how the story unfolds.
Despite Mel being a bit of a drag of a main character at the start (especially her mooning over Charlie like a teenage girl), I did enjoy her character development and by the end was willing her on as she gained somewhat in confidence and was willing to push herself outside of her comfort zone. I admit, I saw a lot of my own personal traits in her so whilst cringing at her at times I also felt sorry for her and wanted her to come out victorious.
The ultimate reveal for the who I kind of guessed but I didn't get the why or the how which I liked. The reveals worked and I did generally enjoy the final few chapters which wrapped everything up with a few surprising elements.
This was a fast paced thriller that kept you engaged and invested as the action unfolds. Not all the characters are likeable at all but they do read very familiar to anyone who's worked in a classic office setting and some of them make for great victims. The locked room element was superb and the red herring and twists and turns added well to the mystery. Overall, a highly enjoyable read and comes recommended.
3.75* rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline | Mountain Leopard Press for a digital review copy of "The Summer Party " in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
In this story we meet Mel and the team at Flavour, a fashionable agency who have been invited to hold their summer shindig at the highly exclusive Point Grey Hotel, with only 8 of them winning the draw to stay overnight as VIPS. As the party develops secrets, lies and revenge become the new agenda and everyone invited to stay wonders why they were the 'lucky' ones to be chosen, especially as the bodies start to pile up.
I really enjoyed the structure of this story. Despite its initial slow start, and Mel being a wet blanket, the pace ramped up after the first third and the setting was particularly evocative and effective. I love an isolated setting which gives you 'And Then There Were None' vibes and we had also all the glitz, glamour and cattiness I would expect in this genre of vacation style thriller. I really liked the use of social media, police interviews and news articles interspersed between chapters to help move the story along as well as act as the present POV for the story. It was a more interesting way of doing a dual POV story and kept everything vague enough to want you to keep reading to see how the story unfolds.
Despite Mel being a bit of a drag of a main character at the start (especially her mooning over Charlie like a teenage girl), I did enjoy her character development and by the end was willing her on as she gained somewhat in confidence and was willing to push herself outside of her comfort zone. I admit, I saw a lot of my own personal traits in her so whilst cringing at her at times I also felt sorry for her and wanted her to come out victorious.
The ultimate reveal for the who I kind of guessed but I didn't get the why or the how which I liked. The reveals worked and I did generally enjoy the final few chapters which wrapped everything up with a few surprising elements.
This was a fast paced thriller that kept you engaged and invested as the action unfolds. Not all the characters are likeable at all but they do read very familiar to anyone who's worked in a classic office setting and some of them make for great victims. The locked room element was superb and the red herring and twists and turns added well to the mystery. Overall, a highly enjoyable read and comes recommended.
3.75* rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline | Mountain Leopard Press for a digital review copy of "The Summer Party " in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.