Hi Everyone,

Well it has definitely been a while. I took an unplanned but very much needed break from blogging. I read and reviewed a lot of books last year and I think the burnout finally hit me. Reading started to feel like a chore instead of something I love and that is definitely not where I want to be. So I took a break. I’ve been reading, but not blogging. However enough is enough and I actually miss doing this so I’m back!

Book 📖

Thank you to @kerrywk and @bookouture for this advanced audio copy of The Party at Number 12 in return for an honest review. The Party at Number 12 is due to be published on 11th March 2022 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Hannah is due to go travelling alone and to celebrate this, she is hosting a leaving party in a grand rented house. Whilst all may seem joyous on the surface, Hannah isn’t keen on the idea of the party and is nervous about some of her guests being together after somewhat tense histories.

But Hannah’s Mother is insistent that they carry on so everyone plasters on a smile and tries to enjoy the evening. The evening is ruined when the following morning, one of the guests is found dead.

Should they call the police or should they not? Everyone in the house has something to hide or someone they love to protect. Deciding to deal with this situation themselves may end up putting them all at risk.

General Thoughts 🤔

This isn’t the first book I’ve read by this author. I seem to remember really enjoying my first experience and I’m pleased to report that I also enjoyed my second. This was a fast paced thriller with lots of twists and turns to keep me on my toes yet at the same time, it wasn’t over complicated. It was easy enough to follow without feeling bored at any point. I have to admit that I had my suspicions about “whodunnit” pretty early on and they turned out to be correct, but it didn’t ruin the story for me at all.

Characters 👫👭👬

Even after finishing, I still can’t decide whether I did or didn’t like Hannah; the main character. I thought she was quite cowardly and even when given the opportunity to do the right thing, she only went half way towards doing so. She was neither a good guy or a bad guy in my opinion she was foolish to let her lack of courage and indecisiveness impact her entire future.

Writing Style ✍🏽

As much as I enjoyed this book, there were some things I had to accept in order to do so. From the beginning, there is little logic or realism in the actions of the characters. BUT. If you can overlook that and give the book a chance, it can take you away on an up and down ride that the author plotted and timed really well. I suppose people do stupid things when under pressure, so maybe the idiocy was all intentional.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

For my first review back after hiatus, I really enjoyed this. It was a great book to listen to as it was written and narrated brilliantly. If you’re looking for a thriller to get lost in and to be carried away with, this is the book for you.

😍😍😍😍😫