I loved the concept of The Dinner Party but the execution of the book left a lot to be desired. The characters were one-dimensional and barely distinguishable from each other. And the ending was just a mess. This book had a lot of potential to be intriguing but I was left bored and disappointed.

This is a tough one to review.

In theory, this book contained some things that I typically love in thrillers; a dinner party, old friends reuniting and a murder plot. I can't say I didn't enjoy the book at all, because I was certainly gripped and kept picking it back up. However, a few things just didn't quite work for me.

In this type of thriller I personally prefer a realistic plot. A lot of this was just too far fetched in terms of how characters responded to certain situations. On the other hand, there was a considerable chunk of the book where there was constant action which, while not entirely believable, did satisfy my desire for thrills.

The ending was what really let this down, though. There was no sense of shock or satisfaction or anything. It kind of makes me mad that i spent so long just to be disappointed, you know?

It was a middle of the road book for me, but either way I am incredibly thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy.

So... conceptually, The Dinner Party was there. Basically, there are four couples who are all friends and come together for dinner parties every so often. At their dinner party, one suggests playing a game where you write down a secret that you have from your partner and then your partner burns it - without reading it - to forgive you and reaffirm trust.

The concept is there! But the story was lacking. It felt like there was a dependency on having so many characters to keep the story moving, rather than the story being engaging throughout. There are several interesting plot points, but the time in between them just read like filler that wasn't really necessary.

That said, I was super intrigued to find out what happened, so I kept reading. The ending left something to be desired, though.

Overall - 2/5 stars. Too much filler, too many characters, solid concept.

This was such an amazing read that I couldn’t put it down. It went everywhere with me. To the doctors office, the dentist, the eye doctor. IT WENT ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. I was so sad when it ended that I immediately went and bought more books from this author!

Confusing book but original and a good read and I couldn't wait to find out what happened.

Kept my interest from the first chapter and I didn't guess the ending which is a big plus. Would definitely read this author again, going to search for his books now.....

I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It seemed to get more and more unbelievable as the story continued. It also seemed to slow in pace in places. I would just describe it as an average read. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I found it difficult to keep who was who in my mind in this rather outrageous story about four couples. The ending was bizarre and even now I’m not sure how the whole thing hung together or even if it did.
Not very likeable characters and whilst it held my interest it failed to deliver.

A quick, fun read. There were a few unexpected plot twists that made this an enjoyable book to read. The whole way through I was wondering if I was maybe being distracted by being focused on the party game but it all tied together nicely without feeling rushed. There weren't any parts that dragged on too long either. Every chapter was perfectly paced, which isn't easy to do.

Four couples attend a dinner party as friends, but dark secrets are boiling just beneath the surface. A trust game pits husband and wife against each other, and the next day, two of the guests are dead, while the other guests are left to figure out why.

For a book that is meant to be "an addictive and twisty psychological thriller," it didn't provide many thrills. If the book had not started with the main character, Ted, fighting for his life, I don't know if I would have gotten through it nearly as quickly as I did. As it was, I did want to know how it got to that point, but it was quite a chore to get there. And more than once, I got to the end of a chapter and had no real compulsion to continue immediately, like I'd expect to have in a good book, especially a good thriller.

All four of the couples came across dull and lifeless to me--not necessarily as individual people, but in their relationships. Ted and his wife probably showed the biggest spark of life, but that was likely just because he was the main character. As such, I had a difficult time connecting with anyone in the book.

After the first murder victim appeared, most of the suspense seemed to be attempted through Ted questioning things repetitively--like why the victim had died, if the person they'd suspected to be the murderer had really done it, and if "the game" was responsible.

And that brings me to one of my biggest gripes. This trust game that they played was silly at best, yet became far too pivotal in the book. Everyone but Ted basically decided that the police shouldn't know about it, or they'd all be blamed for the death...I mean, just far too much emphasis was put on this party game. And worse yet, it turned out to be a big part of the underlying cause for everything.

In the end, the reason behind each death was weak and, frankly, boring. I had theories of twisty goodness that would be revealed at the end, but when it ended, and no exciting twists had occurred, I basically was left with my mouth hanging open, and not in a good way. No, I didn't guess at the motive behind the killings, but that didn't make it good. A few surprises and betrayals did come up in the second half, especially relating to Ted's wife, but none of them delivered on the punch they set up.

For those who want to know about how clean a book is before reading--there are no sexual situations and no language whatsoever that I can recall. The violence and bloodshed does get a bit much near the end, but nothing more than I could handle (and my threshold is fairly low).

I really wanted this book to deliver on its twisty promises, but it was unimpressive. It wasn't terrible, though, and I think there are those who will enjoy it. It just wasn't for me.

The Dinner Party is....predictable. 8 friends have a dinner party - after dinner, they play a 'truth' game. By morning, 2 are dead.

Secrets, turmoil, anger, accusations, etc. It's all there. Just pick up "And Then There Were None' and you'll get it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What starts as an “innocent” game of trust between couples twists itself into a more sinister situation in the early hours….

When I got told by another early reader that she found this book addictive, I held reservation, not because I don’t trust her judgment (that I totally trust) but more from knowing my own reading habits … and then I started it…. due to work pressures, the first 10% took me longer than normal but then Saturday came and I relaxed and read to unwind …. boom! I was hooked!!

I’ve previously read Hide and Seek by the author which captivated my imagination as a parent. The Dinner Party grabbed a different part of my attention. This was about trusted friends. The ones who knew deep dark secrets … do you have friends like that? I know I do … but it made me think if I played that fateful game, what would I write?? And if I told you, I’d have to kill you 🤣🤣

R. J. Parker has written a taught thriller which drew me into the lives of the eight friends but particularly that of Ted who is flummoxed by this whole truth game which seems semi-innocent but turns very nasty…. I am seriously impressed by the level of mistrust that he builds between the close knit friendship!! An excellent thriller that swallowed me up and spat me out with my head spinning!!

Mr Parker is back with another sinister game, a game like no other. With an OMG start I was well and truly hooked when we meet a group of friends a dinner party who play the game! And that’s just for starters you are in for a treat.

There is so much I want to say about this story, but I cant without giving anything away. Sorry guys. But what I can tell you is that I devoured this book, I simply couldn’t put it down. It is one very addictive read has we try and work out what is going on.

This is a story this will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the end. It is one hell of a fast paced thriller, full of twists and turns and OMG moments. Which will definitely get your blood pumping and adrenaline going.

If you are looking for an entertaining read then this is the book for you which I highly recommend.

Thank you to Killer Reads for a copy.

This was an extremely fast paced thriller that I flew through in a day. I went into this with the preconceived notion that the whole book was going to take place at the dinner party from hell but really the dinner party just sets things in motion for the rest of the story. So while that was slightly disappointing (locked room mysteries are my favorite thing ever!) it was still a fun ride with short chapters and a lot of action and reveals.

The book is told from the perspective of Ted who hosted the dinner along with his wife, Juliette, and I really feel like this helped to add to the suspense of the book because we are trying to figure out what is going on at the same time as Ted. This is one of the rare books where the reader is given all the clues so it is possible to put it all together along with Ted. I had most of the story figured out but I forgot about some little details that were added in so I didn’t completely figure it out. The ending was a bit melodramatic and over the top but honestly isn’t that part of the fun?

Wanted to live this story, but it didn’t quite gel, and the characters didn’t develop enough for them to connect with.

Although I enjoyed this novel I thought I would have like it a lot more than I did. I found I didn’t like the characters very much.
A good ending saved this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this in exchange for a review, I will be putting this review on Amazon too.

They are a group of eight friends ... all married ... all have been friends for at least 10 years. Ted and Juliette are hosting a dinner party at their house. They are expecting a wonderful evening of fun, good food, laughter, great company, and wine.

But one of the others suggests a parlor game .... a game that no one should ever play. These eight friends cannot foresee just how dangerous this is.

By tomorrow, two of these people will be dead ...and everyone else will be living a nightmare.

There are secrets and lies aplenty ... add suicides, possible homicides, drugs, alcohol and well hidden pasts that are slowly being revealed, and the suspense is palpable. I found the first half riveting, but them it kind of fizzled toward the end. The story was all wrapped up, but some of it didn't rise to the level of tension I had expected.

Many thanks to the author / Harper Collins UK / Killer Reads / One More Chapter / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I deeply apologize, but I wasn't able to finish this book. It's hard to explain, but I didn't feel a connection with the characters. Sometimes their dialogues don't sound natural and some situations seem too forced for my taste.

I wish the best for the author, and I hope other readers will appreciate this story more than I did.

Really enjoyed this book. Great storyline - characters. Lots of twists & turns; kept me guessing. A definite page Turner. Highly recommend to others!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really like the concept of The Dinner Party. Everything seems normal, you are hosting a dinner party with your closest friends. You decided to play a couples game and things turn tense very quickly. Then the plot turns unrealistic in the second half and I struggled to keep up with all of the moving parts.

I really didn’t like the characters and I found it hard to tell them apart. There are 4 couples, including our narrator and his wife, and I keep forgetting who was married to who and what made them different from the other couples. I understand that the author wanted to throw the readers off by who the killer was by adding more characters, but for me it didn’t work. They just blended together.

And then there was the ending. Even after reading the last chapters twice, I’m still fuzzy on what happened. I was hoping for some sort of shocker, but it’s hard to be shocked when you are only left with a limited number of characters after most have died.

2 calculators out of a potential 5. Interesting concept that fell apart with unlikeable characters and unrealistic storylines.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. To be honest, it wasn't my cup of tea. It was a quick read, and I was really intrigued by the premise, but I found I didn't really care about any of the characters and thought the ending was a bit rushed and silly. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.