The Birthday Party
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- Create Date：2022-01-20 08:21:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Wendy Dranfield
- ISBN：B09KJKY6LL
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Summary
Charlotte waves at her mother across the crowded lawn。 Little red boots on， cowboy hat crooked over her blonde pigtails， she’s been looking forward to this party for weeks。 Moments later， she disappears without a trace…
Kathy Hamilton drives away from her sister-in-law’s pristine-white suburban house in Maple Falls certain she’s left her daughter in safe hands。 On the hottest day of the year， a birthday is the perfect excuse to gather friends， family and neighbors around the pool for a barbecue。 But when she returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished， her world shatters。
Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual。
Kathy’s eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating。 Is she sick with worry for her sister， or hiding a terrible secret？
The phone rings and rings， but why can’t Kathy get hold of the babysitter？
And is she imagining it， or when her husband rushed from work to join the search， was he wearing a different shirt to the one she saw him leave the house in that morning？
As the temperature rises， and long-buried secrets begin to surface， it’s clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets。 But in a town as small as this， is there anyone you can trust？
A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists。 Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell， Gone Girl and Teresa Driscoll， it will keep you up reading all night long！
Kathy Hamilton drives away from her sister-in-law’s pristine-white suburban house in Maple Falls certain she’s left her daughter in safe hands。 On the hottest day of the year， a birthday is the perfect excuse to gather friends， family and neighbors around the pool for a barbecue。 But when she returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished， her world shatters。
Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual。
Kathy’s eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating。 Is she sick with worry for her sister， or hiding a terrible secret？
The phone rings and rings， but why can’t Kathy get hold of the babysitter？
And is she imagining it， or when her husband rushed from work to join the search， was he wearing a different shirt to the one she saw him leave the house in that morning？
As the temperature rises， and long-buried secrets begin to surface， it’s clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets。 But in a town as small as this， is there anyone you can trust？
A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists。 Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell， Gone Girl and Teresa Driscoll， it will keep you up reading all night long！
Reviews
Marybeth Michaelson
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Interesting story， couldn’t put it down towards the end。 Lots of twists。 A good read。
Kris Zeller
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In the end， I loved this one but it was an extremely slow start。 The opening chapter was loaded with extremely mundane information。 The book opens with a family getting ready for the birthday party their daughter would be stolen from。 Once it's determined that she is missing， the local police get involved and we start to pull at a thread that unravels all the secrets of a small town。 I loved the characters in this book。 As with all of Wendy Dranfield's characters， they feel real and are distinct In the end， I loved this one but it was an extremely slow start。 The opening chapter was loaded with extremely mundane information。 The book opens with a family getting ready for the birthday party their daughter would be stolen from。 Once it's determined that she is missing， the local police get involved and we start to pull at a thread that unravels all the secrets of a small town。 I loved the characters in this book。 As with all of Wendy Dranfield's characters， they feel real and are distinct enough that it's easy to keep track of all of them。 This book definitely captures the small-town vibe accurately。 It's a fun read as you start to see the cracks in the perfect facade， and it keeps you reading。 I did notice a couple holes that distracted me a little。 For example， there are a lot of things the town residents know that the chief of police doesn't， which doesn't really make sense since he's both a lifelong resident of the town and also the chief of police， so it's literally his job to know。 I also found the number of times the main characters （purportedly accidentally） impeded the investigation to be crazy。 Even a person who knows nothing about investigations would know better than to make some of those errors。 In any case， the back half of the book was much stronger than the first and I loved the characters so much that this one was ultimately a 4-star read for me。 I especially loved the interactions between the main character and the police chief-- i loved the way it illustrated that your past is only your version of that experience。 。。。more
Sarah
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Loved this book。Really liked the characters and the plot。Plenty of drama， mystery and suspense。 A great， easy。A rollercoaster of a ride， with a nail biting conclusion。Highly recommended 5 stars from me
Jen
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I enjoyed this book for the most part- even ended up finishing it in the middle of the night。 There were a couple of oddities though。 The story centers on Kathy， who drops her 5 year old off at a birthday party， only to find out that she disappeared at some point during the event。 The rest of the book centers on the search for the child while also uncovering secrets in Kathy’s family。 Let’s start with the secrets- there were some revelations made throughout the book that the characters knew but I enjoyed this book for the most part- even ended up finishing it in the middle of the night。 There were a couple of oddities though。 The story centers on Kathy， who drops her 5 year old off at a birthday party， only to find out that she disappeared at some point during the event。 The rest of the book centers on the search for the child while also uncovering secrets in Kathy’s family。 Let’s start with the secrets- there were some revelations made throughout the book that the characters knew but the reader didn’t。 I found this rather odd and felt like the author should’ve provided me more background info from the beginning。 There were a couple things I guessed but also a couple that there is no way I could’ve guessed because I just wasn’t given enough info。 That being said， I did enjoy the story itself as well as the primary characters。 Even though some things ended up fitting together just a little too neatly， I liked the dynamic between the characters and I was satisfied with how it all worked out （for the most part， as there are some very sad parts）。 Overall， I enjoyed the book and I thought there were some clever twists but did think the writing style was a little odd， with info being unnecessarily withheld。 I’d give it 3。5 stars overall。 Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cynthia Piques
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Quick readI read this book because it was recommended as a nailbiter and couldn't be put down。 Well， it was an average book with too many twists to be plausible。 The dialect written was a bit stilted and led me to believe it was a British author trying to write dialect as an American。 I would have preferred it to be about characters in a British setting。 It just didn't ring true。 Americans don't speak the way this is written Quick readI read this book because it was recommended as a nailbiter and couldn't be put down。 Well， it was an average book with too many twists to be plausible。 The dialect written was a bit stilted and led me to believe it was a British author trying to write dialect as an American。 I would have preferred it to be about characters in a British setting。 It just didn't ring true。 Americans don't speak the way this is written 。。。more
Alex Smillie
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Loved this book。 Another great and well written story by Wendy。 Although it touched on difficult subjects， it was done in a sympathetic manner。 The book kept me gripped from the first chapter。
JoAnn
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THE BIRTHDAY PARTY by Wendy DranfieldWhen a five year old goes missing at a birthday party， a dysfunctional family’s secrets are slowly revealed。 Shocking twists at every turn will keep you reading long past your bedtime in THE BIRTHDAY PARTY by Wendy Dranfield。 I could not read it fast enough。 The unpredictable ending was one I can’t forget。 A masterful story for thriller fans。
Jazz Webb
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Review tomorrow
Vrushali
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The book is definately engaging。 I couldn't put it down once I started reading it。 It starts with a mystery and slowly as the secrets start to unveil it also makes you emotional。 The book is definately engaging。 I couldn't put it down once I started reading it。 It starts with a mystery and slowly as the secrets start to unveil it also makes you emotional。 。。。more
Heather
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A 5 year old child goes missing from a family birthday party and nearly everyone is a suspect。 Takes some unravelling and some of the story line is a bit unbelievable but after a few twists the truth and the motive is uncovered。 I didn't feel the emotion from this main event described in the book， it was more about the bigger picture and the plot。 Uncovering truths and connections helped the book flow。 Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review。 A 5 year old child goes missing from a family birthday party and nearly everyone is a suspect。 Takes some unravelling and some of the story line is a bit unbelievable but after a few twists the truth and the motive is uncovered。 I didn't feel the emotion from this main event described in the book， it was more about the bigger picture and the plot。 Uncovering truths and connections helped the book flow。 Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review。 。。。more
bonnie kirchner
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The Birthday PartyThis is a nail biting thriller。 This is a book I could not put down。 This book is a OMG book。 I highly recommend this book
Vanessa
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The Birthday Party By: Wendy Dranfield Narrated by: Sarah Borges。 I am somewhat mixed about this audiobook！！！ I ended up aborting the audio and went to the book， as I did not like the narrator Sarah Borges。 I am glad I did this as the narrator didn't do it justice。 especially as I have loved all of Wendy's books she has written。 The Birthday Party had lots twists and turns。 with lots of secrets and lies throughout that kept you on your toes till the end Which made this an enjoyable read。I Highly The Birthday Party By: Wendy Dranfield Narrated by: Sarah Borges。 I am somewhat mixed about this audiobook！！！ I ended up aborting the audio and went to the book， as I did not like the narrator Sarah Borges。 I am glad I did this as the narrator didn't do it justice。 especially as I have loved all of Wendy's books she has written。 The Birthday Party had lots twists and turns。 with lots of secrets and lies throughout that kept you on your toes till the end Which made this an enjoyable read。I Highly recommended all of Wendy's books they have been an enjoyable read。Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Melanie
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One minute， your little girl is playing happily。 The next， she is gone。Wow， what a book this was！ I knew I would be sucked in as soon as I read the summary but I did not expect to be on the edge of my seat literally reading through all hours of the night！ Be prepared to be taken for a wild ride loaded with many twists and turns。 Every time I finished a scene that threw me for a loop I was hit with yet another one。 Just when I thought I had it all figured out I realized I was wrong。 Please note t One minute， your little girl is playing happily。 The next， she is gone。Wow， what a book this was！ I knew I would be sucked in as soon as I read the summary but I did not expect to be on the edge of my seat literally reading through all hours of the night！ Be prepared to be taken for a wild ride loaded with many twists and turns。 Every time I finished a scene that threw me for a loop I was hit with yet another one。 Just when I thought I had it all figured out I realized I was wrong。 Please note that there are some sensitive uncomfortable topics and scenes。 I am a fan of this author and her talent shines through yet again with this one。 。。。more
Amanda Hixson
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🄰🅄🄳🄸🄾🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚𝙱𝚢: Wendy Dranfield / @wendy_dranfield𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛: Sarah Borges / @sarahborgesuk𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Mystery， Serial Killer Thrillers， Psychological Fiction𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @bookouture𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝙾𝚗: Jan。 7th 2022@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 4。30𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳 / 5 Party FacesKathy Hamilton drives towards her brother & sister in laws house for their twins 6th birthday party， believing it's just another normal first summer party day。 Charlotte her 5-year-old carefree and imaginative daughter， wav 🄰🅄🄳🄸🄾🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚𝙱𝚢: Wendy Dranfield / @wendy_dranfield𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛: Sarah Borges / @sarahborgesuk𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Mystery， Serial Killer Thrillers， Psychological Fiction𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @bookouture𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝙾𝚗: Jan。 7th 2022@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 4。30𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳 / 5 Party FacesKathy Hamilton drives towards her brother & sister in laws house for their twins 6th birthday party， believing it's just another normal first summer party day。 Charlotte her 5-year-old carefree and imaginative daughter， waves at her mother across the crowded lawn。 Little red boots on， cowboy hat crooked over her blonde pigtails， she’s been looking forward to this party for weeks。 Moments later， she disappears without a trace…When Kathy returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished， her world shatters。 Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual。 And Kathy’s eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating。 Is she sick with worry for her sister， or hiding a terrible secret？ The phone rings and rings， but why can’t Kathy get hold of the babysitter？ When her husband rushed from work to join the search wasn't he wearing a different shirt to the one she saw him leave the house in that morning？ Is she imagining this？ It’s clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets。 But in a town as small as this， is there anyone you can trust？A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists。 Perfect for fans of 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘢 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘢 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭， it will keep you up reading all night long！𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 is a story filled with secrets， family drama and history， as police try to uncover the mystery of a small-town family。 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 was an extraordinary read that kept me on the edge of my seat。 A riveting and page turning novel that I highly suggest for anyone who loves to read some good old family drama。I will say I absoutely hated Kathy's mother。 Ugh I wanted to go into the story myself and kick her ass for the kinds of things she was saying。 If there was a prompt for a reading challenge for "A character you hated" I would definitely use this book and say Connie Hamilton hands downs！ What an insensitive， no-it-all snob， careless bitch！ This was my first Wendy Dranfield novel and it did not disappoint considering she is known for writing very good thrillers。 I look forward to reading more from her in the future。 。。。more
Crystal Rees
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I picked this up and put it down so many times。 The premise of the story was a good one but it just couldn’t hold my attention。 It picked up suddenly the last few chapters but overall meh。 I tried hard to like it。Thank you NetGalley for this arc
Corinne
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🎧 Wow… Great sounding blurb that it was a no-brainer to request。 Started off at a very slow pace and if I’m honest I did wonder if it was going to be another similar storyline to other others I’ve read but boy how wrong was I！ Once it picked up the pace it really got going with some incredible twists and turns along the way。 A lot of characters but well written and in such a way you didn’t get confused and you know exactly who was who。 Some really likeable characters （talking about you Cash 😜） t 🎧 Wow… Great sounding blurb that it was a no-brainer to request。 Started off at a very slow pace and if I’m honest I did wonder if it was going to be another similar storyline to other others I’ve read but boy how wrong was I！ Once it picked up the pace it really got going with some incredible twists and turns along the way。 A lot of characters but well written and in such a way you didn’t get confused and you know exactly who was who。 Some really likeable characters （talking about you Cash 😜） that you are rooting for but my god 1 in particular if I got my hands on I’d throttle… I’ll leave that one for you to figure out for yourself 😉。 The narration was really engaging and the book flowed well。 This is definitely one I’d recommend if your looking for something gripping with lots of surprises along the way。 Thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutour Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this ARC that was published on the 7th of January 2021。 。。。more
Lorraine Berry
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Stories involving missing children are not my favorite by any means， but I'm glad I requested this one。 This book is well written and the Author （new to me） did a good job in revealing small important details throughout， which kept the story interesting。I either must be getting better at forecasting the reveals， because I did correctly guess a few of the twists， or they were pretty obvious （I'm going with me being smarter for obvious reasons） - some twists were also a little far fetched - but ne Stories involving missing children are not my favorite by any means， but I'm glad I requested this one。 This book is well written and the Author （new to me） did a good job in revealing small important details throughout， which kept the story interesting。I either must be getting better at forecasting the reveals， because I did correctly guess a few of the twists， or they were pretty obvious （I'm going with me being smarter for obvious reasons） - some twists were also a little far fetched - but nevertheless， there were still a few surprises for me and I enjoyed the story immensely。 Overall， this book is a solid mystery/thriller and I would recommend it。Many thanks to NetGallery and Bookouture Audio for approving my request - I really enjoyed listening to this book。 。。。more
Daniela Warren
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I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook， the story was heartbreaking in more than one way， but it kept me guessing right till the end and I never guessed the ending！I have to say the narrator’s voice and accent was really irritating and took away some of the enjoyment for me！Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me review this audiobook。This is a review of the audiobook。
Catherine
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A young girl goes missing from a birthday party with family。 A place she should have been safe。 What could have happened and who's hiding the truth。A very easy audiobook to listen to。 Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book。 A young girl goes missing from a birthday party with family。 A place she should have been safe。 What could have happened and who's hiding the truth。A very easy audiobook to listen to。 Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book。 。。。more
Emma Star Crossed Reviews
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This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley。 I had both the audio and the ebook。 I decided to listen to the audiobook version。 I love the Maddison Harper series so I was very excited to read this book。 The main character in this book is Kathy。 This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley。 I had both the audio and the ebook。 I decided to listen to the audiobook version。 I love the Maddison Harper series so I was very excited to read this book。 The main character in this book is Kathy。 At first， I wasn’t sure how I felt about Kathy but as the book progressed I felt so sad for her。 She has been through so much and for what reason？ Well， I won’t spoil that but in my opinion， it wasn’t worth it。 The first half of this book really concentrates on the investigation of missing little Charlie。 This was seen from all angles。 The family， the press and the police。 The second half really focuses on the why of Charlie’s disappearance。 As more and more secrets were revealed it was clear to me that this all could have easily been avoided with the truth。 Wendy does a great job keeping the tension and suspense up and the suspicions high。 I didn’t trust anyone！ Sarah was an excellent narrator。 Her voice reflected the situations and it was easy to tell who was speaking at what points。 I really enjoyed all the twists and turns in this book and I can’t wait for Wendy’s next one。 。。。more
Diana
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Kathy dropped off her daughter， Charlie， at a birthday party held at her in-laws。 When Charlie failed to go back home， alarm bells went off and it soon become apparent that something had gone terribly wrong。 An investigation was immediately launched to find her and that is when it was discovered that her babysitter， who was supposed to pick her from the party， was also missing。This was such a captivating， twisty read。 I enjoyed the fact that everyone had a secret。 This provided a large pool of s Kathy dropped off her daughter， Charlie， at a birthday party held at her in-laws。 When Charlie failed to go back home， alarm bells went off and it soon become apparent that something had gone terribly wrong。 An investigation was immediately launched to find her and that is when it was discovered that her babysitter， who was supposed to pick her from the party， was also missing。This was such a captivating， twisty read。 I enjoyed the fact that everyone had a secret。 This provided a large pool of suspects and I couldn’t guess what had happened to Charlie and who was responsible。 Investigators had little evidence to go on and the secrets that keep being revealed had everyone on their toes。As always， Wendy Dranfield has delivered yet another fast-paced， intriguing， enthralling belter of a psychological thriller。 The story did get emotional。 After all， there was a missing child。 Nonetheless， I was at the edge of my seat with each chapter。 。。。more
Misty The
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The first half starts off great。 I can picture this abduction happening。 My heart was pounding for little Charlie。 Then the second half came around with the twists。 First， by 70% I had most of it worked out。 The twists I didn't know were so unbelievable， there is no way that was happening in real life。 I know life is quirky strange even but come on。 Overall， it is a solid thriller that has been done before。 The first half starts off great。 I can picture this abduction happening。 My heart was pounding for little Charlie。 Then the second half came around with the twists。 First， by 70% I had most of it worked out。 The twists I didn't know were so unbelievable， there is no way that was happening in real life。 I know life is quirky strange even but come on。 Overall， it is a solid thriller that has been done before。 。。。more
Kirsty Bookworm86
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BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Birthday Party' by Wendy Dranfield。 Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Wendy Dranfield， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 7th January 2022。This is the third book I have read by this author。 I have previously read 'Cry For Help' which is the second book in the 'Detective Madison Harper' series and 'Little Girl Taken' which is the third book in the 'Detective Madison Harper' series and which I would highly recommend。 I was originally BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Birthday Party' by Wendy Dranfield。 Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Wendy Dranfield， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 7th January 2022。This is the third book I have read by this author。 I have previously read 'Cry For Help' which is the second book in the 'Detective Madison Harper' series and 'Little Girl Taken' which is the third book in the 'Detective Madison Harper' series and which I would highly recommend。 I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title。 The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell， Gone Girl and Teresa Driscol。 ' I am a huge fan of Lisa and 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement。 I am also a fan of Wendy Dranfield and if this is half as good as 'Cry For Help' and 'Little Girl Taken' it is sure to be a page turning read。 I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture。 I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed。 Hopefully this won't be the first。。。 Watch this space！ （Written before I started reading the book）。This novel consists of 66 chapters and an epilogue。 The chapters are short in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed。。。OK， I know yeah right， but still just in case！This book is based in Vermont， USA 🇺🇸。 This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Kathy Hamilton and Detective Chase Cooper。 The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more， what they are thinking and what they are doing。 It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out on anything。 'The Birthday Party' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others。 I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not。 In this book Wendy discusses/includes a abuse and assault。 I wasn't sure whether to include a trigger warning as I don't want to give too much away but I think it's important to state that some triggers include a child so felt it important to include。 Wow！！！！ Just flipping wow！！！！ What an absolutely epic page turner！！！ Well done Wendy you done it again！！ Absolutely smashed it！！！！！！！ YOU HAVE JUST HIT NOT ONLY MY TOP 3 PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER BUT MY TOP 5 AUTHOR LIST！！！ LOVE， LOVE， LOVED！！！ JUST OMG READ THIS NOW！！！ This books is very well written with vivid descriptions creating the perfect atmosphere for the storyline。 The book cover and synopsis works perfectly with the book plot and I am most definitely looking forward to reading not only the next book in the 'Detective Madison Harper' series but also the next heart racing page turner！！ An addictive， nail biting， page turning， heart racing and compelling storyline which had many layers of mysteries and crimes for the reader to be kept guessing throughout。 This book just kept on giving and giving and giving and OMG the bombshells just kept on coming！！！ Filled with twists， turns， shocks， tragedy and red herrings throughout I had no idea who did what until the end。 This is an achievement in itself as it is definitely getting harder to surprise me with the amount of crime novels I've read。 The plot was unique and realistic。 It started straight in the action and kept you going on a roller-coaster ride of suspension throughout。 I was almost in tears when I read certain things， absolutely heartbreaking and certain people got what they deserved in my eyes whilst others deserved so much more。 I am so glad that another certain character got their comeuppance too， although I would have liked to see many tortured！！！ It is so hard to say how glad I am and how gutted I was about certain events without giving anything away to future readers but I'm sure once people have read it they will know exactly what I mean。 Each chapter just left me wanting more and more and I CANNOT remember when I was soooo addicted to a book。 I was absolutely hooked。 Seriously， don't start this if you have plans as I can guarantee you won't be making them！！ Well done Wendy you did absolutely amazing and everything was tied up perfectly。 Although certain aspects at the end were absolutely heartbreaking and devastating other endings were just as they should have been。 Before you start this make sure you clear your schedule because once you pick it up you are not going to want to put it down！！！！ I absolutely loved meeting certain characters which definitely included Charlie， Kathy and Chase！！ I loved the fact that the main leads were a strong female with alot of background and yet having gone through so much and still going through so much and a very sweet， gorgeous detective whose story broke my heart！ I also enjoyed Megan's character and my heart really did go out to her 😔 really liked Chase's character and how he still held a torch for Kathy and I hope he gets everything he deserves。 I absolutely despised a certain character who was just complete and utter scum， evil， filth， I could go on and on， I cannot STAND them and don't understand how someone could be sooo despicable。 I really can't say anything more as I don't want to give anything away but please when you read this get back to me as I need to rant to someone who knows how I feel。 If you don't raad this then seriously your losing out！！ I enjoyed that Wendy gave just the right amount of background information on the characters to let us know about them for it to be a standalone。 I have never read any of her standalone books and as I've only read the ones in a series I was a bit wary but OMG as I hear many people say 'the girl did gooooooodddd'！！！ I'd also like to thank Wendy for bringing certain topics to light， they must have been hard to write about and you've done an amazing job of portraying certain 'things'， sorry I can't go into details， again not wanting to spoil it， but I'm sure this will help many people who are struggling so thank you。 Absolutely fantastic Wendy。 My heart is still pounding and this story will stay with me for a long， long time。 Congratulations Wendy on yet another success and for absolutely blowing my mind time and time again！！！ An absolutely addictive page turner that I would LOVE to see turned into the world's best psychological movie！！！ Overall a pulse racing， engrossing， addictive page turning psychological thriller thay will keep you on edge and will blow your mind over and over again！！ Genres covered in this novel include Thriller， Crime Fiction， Psychological Fiction， Suspense， Psychology Thriller and Mystery amongst others。 I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans Melissa Leigh，Lisa Jewell， 'Gone Girl'， Teresa Driscoll Angela Marsons， C。 L Taylor， Carol Wyer and anyone looking for a great read。 391 pages。This book is just £1。99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book！！！ Rated 5 /5 （I LOVED it ） on Goodreads， Instagram， Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook。 Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews #TheBirthdayParty #Bookouture #WendyDranfield #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour@WendyDranfield @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 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Tamara
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Kathy grew up in a wealthy and privileged but controlling family。 When she falls for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks she tries to hide their relationship and is devastated when it falls apart。Decades later， when Kathy's daughter goes missing， hidden cracks in the prestigious Hamilton family facade rise to the surface， as nothing is quite as it seems。Gripping and compelling read。 My first by this author but I look forward to reading more。 Kathy grew up in a wealthy and privileged but controlling family。 When she falls for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks she tries to hide their relationship and is devastated when it falls apart。Decades later， when Kathy's daughter goes missing， hidden cracks in the prestigious Hamilton family facade rise to the surface， as nothing is quite as it seems。Gripping and compelling read。 My first by this author but I look forward to reading more。 。。。more
Renita D'Silva
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Wow wow Wow what a book！ A masterful tale， packed with suspense。 Addictive and twisted。 A five star read。 Do read this one。
Alina
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I got full-body chills while reading the book。As Kathy drops Charlie at the Birthday Party， all she can see is joy on the little girl's face。 As she drives away - the main and only worry on her mind is her troubled marriage。 If she only knew that a few hours after this moment - her world will change， and all the family secrets will come crashing down like a domino effect。First of all， as a new mom - this novel hit me hard。 I was crying alongside Kathy。 Second - the cruelty of the mother towards I got full-body chills while reading the book。As Kathy drops Charlie at the Birthday Party， all she can see is joy on the little girl's face。 As she drives away - the main and only worry on her mind is her troubled marriage。 If she only knew that a few hours after this moment - her world will change， and all the family secrets will come crashing down like a domino effect。First of all， as a new mom - this novel hit me hard。 I was crying alongside Kathy。 Second - the cruelty of the mother towards her own child was simply despicable。 I've enjoyed the fast pacing theme of this novel。 The author throws the reader right in the middle of the rollercoaster。 The dual timeline worked perfectly for this novel， explaining Kathy's background。 But most importantly I loved the way an author has connected all the pieces in this horrific puzzle at the end。 This novel left me with confused feelings。 It felt wrong to be happy for the family after such a horrific loss。 Nevertheless， it was a thrilling read， the secrets and twists were well written into the story。 Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced and free copy of the novel。 。。。more
Bridget
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This is my fourth book by Wendy Dranfield and I'm so glad I picked it up。 Fast-paced， where nothing is like it seems， I really enjoyed the way it all came together at the end。 Although I feel I need to take a break from stories involving missing children， I still found The Birthday Party completely riveting and absorbing。 Very highly recommended。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion。 This is my fourth book by Wendy Dranfield and I'm so glad I picked it up。 Fast-paced， where nothing is like it seems， I really enjoyed the way it all came together at the end。 Although I feel I need to take a break from stories involving missing children， I still found The Birthday Party completely riveting and absorbing。 Very highly recommended。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Connie
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Kathy and Mitch Hamilton are long-time， upstanding members of the community。 Kathy teaches at the Junior High and volunteers at the domestic refuge for women。 Mitch is a successful real estate businessman。 Kathy’s family is wealthy and have lived in the town for generations。 Kathy and Mitch are the parents of Fay， 16， and Charlotte （Charlie）， 5。 Charlie is a happy， well-adjusted little girl， but Fay is currently having some problems and is seeing a counselor。Kathy has taken Charlie to Mitch’s br Kathy and Mitch Hamilton are long-time， upstanding members of the community。 Kathy teaches at the Junior High and volunteers at the domestic refuge for women。 Mitch is a successful real estate businessman。 Kathy’s family is wealthy and have lived in the town for generations。 Kathy and Mitch are the parents of Fay， 16， and Charlotte （Charlie）， 5。 Charlie is a happy， well-adjusted little girl， but Fay is currently having some problems and is seeing a counselor。Kathy has taken Charlie to Mitch’s brother， Scott's home for a birthday party for his and Cindy’s 6-year-old twins。 They are having a huge party for children and adults alike。 Both Kathy and Mitch have other commitments so aren’t going to stay for the party。 Instead， their babysitter， Megan， will pickup Charlie later and bring her home。 But when Kathy and Mitch arrive home， Charlie and Megan aren’t there。 When Kathy calls Megan， there is no answer。 Where are they？The police send out Detective Chase Cooper。 Kathy and Chase went to school together when they were younger and he is a solid individual who is intent on finding Charlie。There is a lot of petty and mean finger pointing at one another within the family。 Can they even trust their family？Wow！ This is a terrific plot with lots of people disliking one another for one reason or another。 However， there is also a lot of love shown， thus the author has created a great mixture of personalities。 The story is sad， yet hopeful。 Very well done and the culprit was a surprise to me。 Enjoy！Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Kylie
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**audiobook version** Narrator 3 StarsThis narrator was ok， but after awhile her voice started to grate on me。Story 2。5 starsI could not get into this story until about the 60% mark where it really started to pick up and then it became really interesting。
Robyn Ghafoor
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This book was really slow to start until about halfway through， I honestly felt it was neverending。 Once it picked up it was really entertaining， there was so many red herrings and twists and turns all over the place; some of the twists I guessed and others I didn't see coming。 The only thing stopping this from being 5 stars was that I felt in parts it was a bit far-fetched with everyone and everything being connected。 I can wholeheartedly say that Connie is one of the worst characters I've ever This book was really slow to start until about halfway through， I honestly felt it was neverending。 Once it picked up it was really entertaining， there was so many red herrings and twists and turns all over the place; some of the twists I guessed and others I didn't see coming。 The only thing stopping this from being 5 stars was that I felt in parts it was a bit far-fetched with everyone and everything being connected。 I can wholeheartedly say that Connie is one of the worst characters I've ever came across in a book。 Also， this book may be upsetting for some; as a Mum it's my worst nightmare for something to happen to my wee boy so I did get rather affected by this。*Thanks to NetGalley， Bookouture and Wendy Dranfield for the copy of this book。 All views are my own。* 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Birthday Party
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Birthday Party&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Birthday Party&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0