Finally! A novel that isn’t predictable in any way. At the risk of using a cliche, this really is a tightly woven plot. The characters are deliberately unlikable, but there is a side to Cassie that somehow has you wanting her to come out of this in tact. The thing is, she’s meant to be flawed and as the novel deepens this is an interesting point of exploration. It was a little dark throughout with no real light moments but a good read nonetheless,

Four friends escape for a weekend, to celebrate a birthday.

But celebrations at a music festival for a previous birthday were marred by being witness to a rape.

None of the four did anything to help.

The woman found dead in the river, now has an identity.

Can any of the four feel guilty about not helping? Or did they know more than they have said?

The celebrations at the weekend away are told chronologically going forward..

The celebrations at the music festival are told sequentially going backwards from the witness of the crime.

I found this book very dark and depressing in places and this made it a bit of a slog to get through it. The characters were not likeable, whilst I think that added to the story in some ways it did mean that you never felt any particular empathy and certainly no sympathy with any of them.

An interesting concept as a plotline which kept me hooked to the story as it unfolds forward and backwards, you start to see what each person might have done and what role they may have played. But ultimately they didn't do anything or did they?

This author is new to me, and whilst perhaps this wasn't a book that ticked all the boxes for me, I would be interested to read what else she was written.

This is a good page turner, but it has some trigger warnings I must say. I like unlikeable characters and this story has a group in it! It's a dark story, and tense.
Would definitely read from McGrath again.

Another slow build then WHAM! Couldn’t put down. Devoured in 2 sittings and was gutted when it ended. It’s based on ; uni friends and did they witness a murder....twisty and turns and I’ll be looking forward to reading more by this author.
5/5 on goodreads

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book about 4 friends sharing a house for a long weekend. They have all witnessed a young woman being raped and did nothing. The woman’s body is then recovered from the river. Why didn’t any of them intervene and try to help. This is a very gloomy book with four miserable and dislikable characters. Whom you wonder how they maintained this long term friendship, when none of them had anything in common.
I found the book extremely irritating to read and disliked all of the main characters.

Friends have secrets and in this book they have deadly consequences. This is a good and in places really disturbing read. The secrets these friends are hiding from each other are shocking and deadly. I enjoyed this book but I could not feel any empathy for any of the main characters. I think that I would have enjoyed it more if I had.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A group of four friends witness a woman being assaulted and decide to do nothing about it. Later, a body turns up and they realise they have been complicit in her murder. Why did none of them speak up?

I found the novel a little bit long and think it would have been more gripping if it had been slightly shorter. The characters are thoroughly unlikeable and I found it a little unrealistic that they would stay friends for so long when it doesn't seem as though they like each other.

The twists in this book are excellent and I found it kept me guessing the whole way through.

A dark tale of toxic friendship.

Late one night four friends witness a woman being assaulted. They walk on and decide to do nothing. The consequences of their inaction expose schisms within the friendship group, which come to a head on a weekend stay in Dorset.

The story is well written and the plot deftly handled. There are many twists and turns as this dark tale becomes ever darker. It’s like watching a slow-motion car crash, you can’t tear your eyes from.

The only flaw is the nature of the characters’ friendship. It seems unlikely a group would have remained so close over fifteen years, when none of them appear to like each other. This gripe aside, I ran through the book in no time.

This book is another one that tales place in a remote house when 4 friends go for a weekend holiday. You can guess it's about secrets revealing, tension rising between them.

I think it was an OK book, fun to read. But, I found I didn't root for any of the characters, even if they were bad. I liked the atmosphere, and the writing style. If you're looking for an easygoing, fun thriller, this is a good choice.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

The Guilty Party is a twisted psychological thriller and tense character driven drama focusing on a group of four friends, who one night witness a brutal attack yet choose to do nothing. But what motivates their silence?

This is a devilishly clever novel in it’s construction as the history and toxic friendship, reliance and turning a blind eye that haunts this seemingly tight knit group starts coming to light. Mel McGrath plays beautifully with hindsight, memory and the ties that bind as one by one the true colours of each of the friends starts to emerge.

Secrets abound and at the core of this story sits those secrets we keep from ourselves- about how we hide from the truth to hold onto a belief in the status quo. How we forgive and often quite literally forget in order to hold onto people who may not be as they seem.

It is utterly addictive, hugely fascinating on a very human level as the group disintegrates into separate self interest and all the realities of that night emerge in shocking and unpredictable ways.

I was riveted. I had no idea where it would go and in the end it is melancholy and thought provoking, a true “what if ” narrative that will play on your mind.

The main question is- What would YOU do?

Are you sure?

Brilliant. Highly Recommended.

This book is about 4 friends who meet at a remote farmhouse for a weekend break. Although the storyline is good and does keep you guessing to some extent, I found the characters (some more than others) hard to like or find credible.

Along the way in the book when secrets and truths start to come out there is a temse atmosphere.

I would say the book is well written stylistically but I did find it a bit long winded and I think some may struggle to keep with all the different viewpoints that the story is told from.

It is based around four friends spending time together and then the inevitable happens secrets are disclosed, old wounds are opened up. Which clearly puts strain on their friendship.
When I first read the blurb on this book I really thought I would enjoy it.
Unfortunately it was not the case for me, I found the story quite weak and long winded.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I really wanted to love this , really liked the sound of it when I requested it and still think overall it was pretty decent , but I did find it to be quite a slog to get through , it was a little confusing and I really disliked the 4 friends that the book was about . Thoroughly unpleasant the lot of them . When the four friends meet at a remote farmhouse for a weekend retreat its not long before secrets and long buried resentments come to the surface which threaten to ruin their decade long friendship . The only problem was I really didn't care . I finished it so I could review it but it wasn't for me . Thank you for the opportunity to read it .

I actually found this book quite disturbing when I started to read it but decided to persevere with the story. How 4 people's lives are intertwined with the secrets and lies they all have. It turned out to be an excellent read but chilling

It’s going to sound odd given the convoluted nature of this book’s plot but I felt the whole thing lacked originality. Reading it, I felt like I’ve already read at least two books with the same plot: a group of upper-class Oxford-educated and morally-dubious students meet a girl from a poorer background at university. They befriend her for no apparent reason and form a seemingly close bond. This girl - our main protagonist - turns out to be the only “good” and trustworthy person in the group. Years go by, horrible things happen and a predictable conclusion is reached. The end.

This all being said, I read this book till the end and the experience was more enjoyable than not. It’s a good commuter read - passes the time, if you know what I mean. So three stars from me and a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in return for an honestly review.