The Party Guest – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Party Guest

Author:- Amandha Robson

Date published:- 16th June 2022

No. of pages:- 369 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Writing:- 4/5

Plot:- 4/5

Overall:- 4/5

A birthday to remember. But would they rather forget…?

Ralph is turning 45, and the only gift he wants is his ex-wife.
Gemma, his trophy girlfriend, won’t let anything ruin her plans for an engagement.
Sarah, the ex-wife, has agreed to attend Ralph’s party, with her new man in tow.
And Jack, her partner, will stop at nothing to keep Sarah out of her ex-husband’s clutches.

It’s a celebration like no other. The whole extended family in a villa on the beautiful Amalfi coast.
But by the end of the trip, two people will be dead.
At this birthday party to remember, will anybody unwrap the truth…?

Two weeks. Four guests. One party to die for.

This is the second book I have read of Amanda Robson and after reading My Darling, I got excited when I got the ARC from the publisher.

Ralph is celebrating this forty fifth birth and he invited his ex- wife Sarah whom he still have feelings towards to. But Sarah is already moving on and is in love with a man named Jack. Both Jack and Sarah attend Ralph’s birthday party. Ralph’s children, Patrick and Janice also attend the party along with Ralph’s girlfriend Gemma and Patrick’s girlfriend Anna. But there seemed to be tensions between the people at the party and soon one of the guests end up dead.

The chapters were told through the character’s perspectives–Ralph, Sarah, Jack, Janice, Patrick, Gemma and Anna and they were all short so it was a bit quick to read. It was also fast paced and unputdownable. There were however too much sex telling in this book but then it was a page turner and I think the author has done a good job drawing the reader into the story. The ending was however unexpected and I actually did not see that twist coming. Overall, if you like a thriller based in Italy with a summer vacation setting then this book is one for you–worth four stars in my opinion!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC. The review is based on my opinion only.

After graduating, Amanda Robson worked in medical research at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and at the Poisons Unit at Guy’s Hospital where she became a co-author of a book on cyanide poisoning – a subject which has set her in good stead for writing her dark and twisting novel about love affairs gone wrong. Amanda attended the Faber novel writing course and writes full-time. Obsession is her debut novel. http://www.amandarobson.co.uk

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