‘Happy New Year’ is a very atmospheric and addictive Swedish thriller. Very Scandi and very Noir.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel.

I enjoyed this. It was a little slow to get going but that just built the tension for me as when the unexpected happened, you were not prepared for it.
Teenager Jennifer goes missing - it's every parents nightmare for their child to go missing - lots of twists and turns and secrets uncovered. A good read.

Wow what a different take on a New Year party! Quite the thriller to be enjoyed.

Old school friendships can last and some can become stale, however some continue as there are dark secrets between them that cannot be glossed over.

When teenage Jennifer disappears from a house party lots of possible suspects come to light. Her mother discovers she was not an angel and the question of her paternity arises.

Great plot, interesting storyline and good characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book started off a little too slow for my liking. With the "action" starting later than I would have liked. Especially as the build was really focused on the teenagers but the adults.

But once she was missing I was intrigued by how Fredrik was behaving. I disliked the twist regarding him and Jennifer though. Mainly due to her behaviour towards him.

The reveal came out of nowhere for me. Unless I missed clues and hints. The odd mention of drugs didn't give me enough to even think of the person behind the death.

Thanks net gallary for the exclusive read.

I was bit dubious but i was surprised.

Absolutely brilliant read from start to end.

Nina, Lolo and Malena have been friends since high school, however life and families get in the way and now they only get together for Midsummer and New Year.
This New a year, they’re celebrating at Lolo’s house, while their teenage daughters are celebrating at Nina’s house.
Nina wasn’t happy for the girls to host their own party, as she worried things would go wrong, but she was persuaded by her husband, the girls and Lolo, so in the end she relented.

Both parties are having fun, until just before Midnight when Jennifer, Lola’s daughter leaves the party and heads home.
The next day, whilst recovering from the night before, the mums discover Jennifer never made it home. Where is she? Who saw her last?

The story is told through 3 perspectives. Lola, Nina and Nina’s husband Frederik. The story has been translated into English, so the setting is the country of origin. The translation is a good one and didn’t distract from the storyline at all.
I found it fairly slow going but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Definitely will be looking out for more from this author.

Happy New Year is about two families who have grown up together: the mums are best friends and their 17 year old daughters, Smilla and Jennifer, are close. When Jennifer's family plans a lavish annual New Year's party at their house the parents agree to the teenagers having their own party at Smilla's house. However, things dont go to plan and, following a disagreement at the teenagers' party, Jennifer  storms out and goes missing...

The book takes it it turns to tell the story from the viewpoint of the different characters involved. At first the plot appears pretty cut and dry, with one particular individual implicated in Jennifer's disappearance. However, all is not as it seems and all of the main characters are harbouring secrets.

This is a hard read, what happens to Jennifer is every parent's worst nightmare. An intense story with lots of twists and turns!

Happy New Year is a 3.5⭐️ I’ve upped to 4⭐️ As it’s not a 3.
This book is about what happens at a New Year’s Eve party and the fallout and consequences of that night. Two families one heartbreaking event has a massive impact in their lives.
I found this book to be quite a slow one, it does have a lot of twists and turns and the ending is good, even though I had to read it twice but you definitely know what’s been said! The characters were quite likeable but I didn’t feel fully invested in them and I think that’s down to the slowness of the book. It’s a shame the pace wasn’t there as this was a decent thriller that I did enjoy but had it been faster paced it would have been even better with more twists becoming more shockable if that makes sense? I had no idea of the culprit so that was definitely a bonus.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The plot is interesting with a number of twists to throw you off, guessing where the story was going. The twists were executed well, a few I didn't see coming. I couldn't guess who was behind the murder but I wish there was more of an impact, for me it just feel abit flat.

Although it was a little slow in place's I did enjoy it. A great debut novel, I can't wait to read more books by this author

3.5 out of 5

This book took me a little while to get into, but eventually I found myself really intrigued by the characters and what the full story was.

There was a few twists at the end which I was relatively surprised at, which made the book generally a lot better plot than I had anticipated. Overall I probably wouldn’t read this book again or recommend; but I still enjoyed it as a quick read and would consider reading more from this author in the future!

I just couldn't get into this book. I did try a couple of times. It just didn't grip me at all. Sorry, it just wasn't for me.

This is a Scandinavian thriller, I did enjoy it but I found it rather slow which is why the lower score. There were twists and turns but it took a while to get to them. If the book had a faster pace I would have enjoyed it more. It took me longer to read than usual as it wasn't keeping me wanting to know more.

This kept my interest pretty much so because of the twistiness of it and the unexpected turns, however, it was slow getting there, infact the entire pace of this book is rather slow, hence 3*. I was there with my nose in the book when I opened it, but, when I had to put it down and do something I wasn’t thinking about it, not like some books I’ve read.
Wasn’t eager to get back to it until……
I was back to it!

(You’ll have to read that last sentence twice!, but it does make sense)

Good overall plot 4/5
Gripping 3/5
Hold my attention? It was easy to leave it and come back to it, eventually.

An enjoyable read albeit with an unlikeable cast of characters. It kept me guessing to the end and I enjoyed the Swedish setting. Recommended.

Overall, a good book set in Scandinavia, the story revolves around one of the couple’s daughters going to missing after a New Years Eve party.

The narrative within the book is a very slow build-up, which for me personally it did not really work or hold my attention as well as it could have done.

I did not particularly like any of the characters which might have been the intent of the author. Each one had varying flaws, secrets and made questionable decisions throughout the book. Although, must be said all events are character behaviours were realistic and believable.

The twists and turns were executed very well, a few of which I did not see coming and led to a surprise outcome as all was revealed at the end.

3.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A well plotted, gripping and twisty Scandinavian thriller that kept me on the edge and guessing till the end.
There's a lot going on: secrets, a winter and chilly setting, well developed characters.
The first I read by this author but won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A domestic thriller with so many twists and turns it will leave you giddy. Loved this book - which keeps you guessing until the very end.

A really good Swedish thriller. Two New Years Eve parties. Of course being a Scandi thriller it has to be winter! One party for the adults, one for the children. Two locations at other sides of town. One daughter goes missing - what does the other know? A really good mystery discovering what happened. Dark and atmospheric.

Took a little while to get into this book but once I got into it, thoroughly enjoyed it.
A few twists and surprises along the way.
Really sad in places. Who are your true friends?
Happy New Year? On this occasion it wasn't...
Thank yot to Netgalley, Malin Stahn and the publisher Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review

This is the story of two families who celebrate the New Year together and an unexpected tragedy occurs that will change all of their lives forever. Since both families are hiding a lot of secrets, the book contained high drama. With a slow start, at first this book was hard for me to get into. But once the central tragedy occurred, it became more like a mystery and a lot of action and drama was added as revelations are made about the various family members. None of the characters was particularly likable or relatable to me, but I did feel sorry for many of them since they seemed to be trapped in bad circumstances. There were a couple of characters that I really wanted something bad to happen to them as they were almost irredeemable in their actions and narcissistic personalities. All in all, I enjoyed reading the book and I’m glad that I got the opportunity to read it. There are lessons to be learned within its pages about toxic relationships and honesty, so it was definitely worth the read. Those who enjoy a mystery with suspense and domestic drama will enjoy this book.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”