THE BEACH PARTY is something of a slow burn thriller that didn't quite reach the heights of anticipation I had...well...anticipated. I found the writing clunky and convoluted with "Sophie this" or "Sophie that" with every second sentence...almost as if Katie didn't have a thought of her own.

So the two young women, Katie and Sophie, met at uni whilst studying journalism. While Katie wanted to write it, Sophie wanted to broadcast it. At the same time being something of a social media influencer for fashion and beauty. The two friends decide to start a true crime podcast called Small Town, investigating cold cases, which they will research, write, record and produce together. That is until Tom comes onto the scene.

Katie knows Tom from her hometown in Cornwall. They grew up together and had the same friends. But ever since Sophie came home with her on one of her visits, Tom has been a fixture in Sophie's life and it soon becomes clear that there is no room for Katie as well.

And soon the podcast gets neglected also. That is, until a radio station then commissions six episodes on the murder of a girl who both Katie and Tom knew, at a beach party they had both attended five years ago, which to this day remains unsolved. Neither Katie nor Tom are excited at this prospect but Sophie is thrilled.

Now the three of them are on the journey from London back to Cornwall for a month long stay while they research the cold case two of them are reluctant to face. Returning home brings up many fears for Katie, mostly of what she might learn or what they may uncover about that night. And what really happened to Lacey.

This is Amy Sheppard's debut and while the premise was intriguing, the execution I found a little lacking. I'm not sure why but it just missed the mark with me. I think because the writing was so stilted and convoluted, some of it just didn't make sense. It was ludicrous. And I wasn't excited about anyone or anything and Katie was a sub-standard narrator that didn't have a voice for narration. It was more robotic than anything and it gave me (the reader) a sense of disconnection. And she seemed to have a crush on just about everyone at some point. Who is this story about again? Not only that, she appeared to be a tad bipolar with her paranoia and anxiety of just about everything.

I wanted to like this book but it just wasn't for me. I struggled so much with it I just gave up.

I would like to thank #AmySheppard, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBeachParty in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Beach Party' by Amy Sheppard.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Amy Sheppard, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous


Publication Date 25th August 2022.


This is the first book I have read by this author.


I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching beautiful cover and intriguing as well as intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for anyone who adored The Holiday, The Guest List or Gone Girl..' I am a huge fan of Gone Girl so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. 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 a prologue and 62 chapters. 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 Cornwall, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually been on holiday to and visited Cornwall many times and am going back next year so will definitely be intrigued to see if I recognise anywhere or get ideas where to visit or avoid!!!


This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonist being Katie. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.


'The Beach Party' discusses some topics that may trigger or upset 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 Amy discusses/includes rape.

WOW!! IF YOU WANT A BOOK WITH AN ENDING THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND MAKE SURE YOU PICK THIS ONE UP!!

This book was very fast paced, unqie and addictive. I devoured it in one reading and was completely absorbed throughout!! This is only the second book that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but for the second time I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Amalia Vitale who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Amalia did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Amy but also to listening to more books narrated by Amalia! The storyline is rammed with suspense, tension and mystery throughout and I loved the unique way we are told the story through podcasts. Amy created a suspense and tension filled atmosphere and Amalia executed it perfectly through her narration. The location was perfect for the storyline and I could picture everything perfectly through Amy's vivid descriptions. The only niggle I really had was the short sentences which haltered the storyline somewhat. There were so many characters who had motive to kill Lacey and I was left guessing throughout. The twist at the end absolutely blew my mind, I certainly did NOT expecting that coming!!!


I was completely invested in the storyline and the characters throughout. The characters were all strong and realistic making them easy to picture. However, I can't honestly say I particularly liked any of the characters which given thay I was hooked on the storyline surprises me. The main character Katie seems to be very spoilt and there are several ways this shows in the book including the fact that she never seems to contribute to anything when staying with Sophie and Tom such as cooking. Katie also seems to bad mouth most of the females including her so called best friend Sophie and yet seems to have fallen in love with the three main male characters. I just didn't seem to click with her at all and was annoyed with the way she seemed to look down at other characters while being quite hypocritical herself. Sophie also reveals herself to be quite a spoilt brat on several occasions and it always seems to be what she wants. She had a tendency just to disappear doing her own thing and I must say who pushes their so called best friend into doing a podcast she didn't want to do? Tom was another confusing character who seemed to fancy Katie but was in a relationship with Sophie. It was a shame I didn't find one character that I could relate to but I still found it a very enjoyable read.

This is the first book I have read by Amy but I'm most certainly looking forwards to reading more!!

Overall a page turning mystery that will fill you with suspense and absolutely shock you at the end!!!

Genres covered in this book include Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Fiction,Fiction and Domestic Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of The Holiday, The Guest List or Gone Girl.


294 pages/ 9 hours 12 minutes.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, £8.99 in paperback, £18.29 for the audiobook or £7.99 of you have Audible membership via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


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Katie is a writer and is delving into the death of a young girl after a beach party. Which she attended.
As Katie digs deeper, the research brings up all sorts of reverberations from the past.
She needs to be careful because all that disturbance of old dirt could cause an avalanche of answers that even she isn’t prepared for.
The Beach Party is an eery, chilling read.

After a bonfire party, Lacey's body is found dead, and her locket is missing. Who, in the group of friends from the party, did it? Sophie and Katie (who knew Lacey) start a true crime podcast years later to figure out what happened.
The premise for this book is great, but it fell flat. The sentences are short, choppy. The beginning is slow, but it is full of good red herrings that keep you guessing. I liked the audio better than the book.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Not bad for a debut novel. Interesting and definitely had some surprises for me. Passed the time just fine, which is what a book read on the beach in the summer should do.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A well-written plot, good characters, and plenty of twists and turns. However, I found this book a little flat in places. Not a bad read.

Katie and Sophie run a podcast ‘Small Town’ which examines cold cases in smaller urban areas. With them is Sophie’s boyfriend Tom, who grew up with Katie and handles the recording. As the story begins they are leaving London for Pengully, Katie and Tom’s hometown in Cornwall, where five years ago nineteen-year-old Lacey Crew was murdered on the night of a beach barbeque. This is their latest project, one that Katie has reservations about, knowing she will be meeting townsfolk and unsure of what their reaction will be.
Surprisingly, they do get people willing to be interviewed and, it appears, during the police investigation, there were many things the locals did not divulge.
Although in the beginning it looks as if this investigation is set to stall, eventually, some unexpected things turn up. Written from Katie’s viewpoint, it is clear that Lacey Crew, someone she went to school with, was a thoroughly unpleasant bully, who targeted Katie making her life a misery. As the story progresses and more information is revealed, so the list of potential suspects increases. When the murderer was revealed I can’t say I was surprised, although the writer did keep me guessing. An excellent debut, well written with twists and turns a-plenty.
I have only one comment to make and that relates to the end of the book, where Katie visits Lacey’s grave and apologises for what happened to her. As far as I was concerned, Lacey Crew was quite evil, deliberately setting out to wreck Katie’s life long after the bullying at school and didn’t deserve a shred of sympathy.
My thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Amy Sheppard for an ARC of The Beach Party in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up for this debut novel.

I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I started out listening to it, then switched to my kindle, then back again and ultimately my favorite was the audio, so that's how I tackled most of it.

Katie and Sophie start a true crime podcast to discuss the murder of, Lacey, 5 years ago. Lacey was murdered at a beach party that Katie was at, so it makes her close to the case. As they start interviewing old friends of Lacey's more evidence and secrets are brought to light.
I was blindsided by the murderer, I love when that happens. Yay!!

Overall, a solid debut novel. It was slow going in the beginning, but still fast paced and intriguing. I'd be interested in reading more from this author.

Side note #1~ I could have went for the blurb to hint at this really being about the podcast. I thought I was going to be at the party in real time.

Side note #2 ~ I have never once listened to a podcast, but this jumped out at me ~ when they were speaking during the podcast I found it odd that she would say her sentence then the word pause. Why say pause, instead of just pausing?

Side note #3 ~ I was cracking up when their "smells collided" 🤣

Amalia Vitale did a fine job narrating for 9 hours and 12 minutes, easy enough to listen at 2x, but a little too slow for me.

CW ~ references to off page rape

This book was good! I enjoyed the storyline and characters. It kept my attention and was exciting. the author did a great job writing this story and kept it moving!

Katie and Sophie travel back to Katie’s hometown, Pengully, to record a true-crime podcast about an unsolved murder that happened in Pengully. The murder of beautiful and popular Lacey, only nineteen-old, happened five years ago. Katie and her boyfriend Tom were both there that night at a beach party with a large group of friends. Despite so many possible witnesses, no one saw Lacey murdered. Can Katie and Sophie figure out who wanted Lacey dead? What happened that night at the beach party?

Amy Sheppard’s descriptions of Pengully drew me in. I felt like I was really there in the beach town. I could picture the places in my mind. Although, I did feel like many of the characters just had surface-level development. I didn’t feel a true connection to any of them. I did enjoy the book and the suspense of wanting to know who killed Lacey that night kept me reading. The pace did pick up in the book's second half as Katie and Sophie uncovered many possible motives for Lacey’s murder. Just when I thought I had who killed Lacey figured out, the ending surprised me. Overall, I would give this book 3 stars because of the lack of character development.

A true crime podcast takes Katie back to her small town. Not only that the small town is where she grew up, and the murdered was someone who hated her. This takes Katie back, not only to the house where she grew up, but also to everything that happened back then, and all the people she left behind.

The story hooked me from the beginning, because the flow in the book appealed to me, and the small town is filled with intriguing people, and most of them are keeping something from the police. Some of them are however willing to tell their story to be heard on the podcast. There are many stories to be told, but the culprit might not be who you thought it would be...

I read the book in one sitting, and enjoyed it very much! I think this is a good read for people who might not be into grewsome detective stories, but small town mysteries, deception, and lies.

When someone dies, they become perfect.

Katie, a journalist, and her more outgoing best friend Sophie do a true crime podcast together. As Sophie has grown more successful in her influencing, the podcast has slowed to once a month instead of weekly. When an opportunity to really grow the podcast arises, it’s Sophie who is more interested this time, even willing to post about it on her glitzy feed.

The reason Katie is reluctant is because the crime they’re covering happened in her small town. 5 years ago, Lacey was murdered at an annual beach party. Everyone was there but no one saw a thing! It’s a resort town so the locals aren’t clamoring to discuss it because murder isn’t good for business.

As they settle in, Katie realizes that life has gone on without her since she left and all is not the same in this world. Will she be able to break down the walls and get people to talk or will this case be cold forever?

This started off very strong and stayed that way until the twist at the end. I’ve seen it done a lot recently and I don’t like it because it’s just so outrageous and unbelievable. I also don’t love the “sympathy for the bully because they’re troubled too” it just doesn’t appeal to me. Otherwise, it had a nice format, was easy to read and follow. It gave enough details to keep you consistently interested. I love small town mysteries and true crime narratives so this is definitely up my alley and I try not to judge books by their endings if I really enjoyed the journey.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read, listen, and review! I switched between the audio and ebook, which is my favorite way to read and the narration was excellent!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I alternated between this and the audio version of this book.
I enjoyed this thriller. It started off a bit slow but managed to keep me interested in all the small town secrets. The ending was a surprise too. I did not expect that twist of who the killer of Lacey was.

A small Cornish town with an unsolved murder of a 19 year old is the base of this crisply narrated story.

Katie returns with her friend Sophie to her hometown, Pengully, after about 5 years, to make a podcast on the unsolved murder of Lacey.
There are secrets that haven't yet come to the surface and as the girls start recording the series, more people and angles that have remained hidden come out to the open. Meanwhile Katie too starts remembering some things from the night of the murder.
An interesting twist in the end.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC

This one hooked me! I loved the podcast aspect. The characters were intriguing. The mystery kept me guessing right up to the end. I think I guessed everyone but the person who did it. I also like the way the ending went. It felt realistic. I will definitely read this author again.

Gripping psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat.
Loved the writing, loved the plot.

Sometimes it is best if you don't go back, when you do you might find out things that you maybe wish you hadn't. Katie and Lacey are making a true crime podcast about the unsolved murder of someone Katie knew at a party she went to. Their investigations stir up bad memories for Katie, and it is clear that not everyone wants the past brought up again.

A nineteen-year-old girl, Lacey, a beautiful, popular teenager, with no obvious enemies, no suspicious past to backstory is dead on the beach. The suspicion looms on her boyfriend, James, but, he also killed himself after her girlfriend’s death. There is no one in the Pengully to investigate her reason for murder. The police closed the case after James’s death.

One day Sophie calls Katie and makes her ready to reopen the case for their popular podcast ‘A small Town’. And, here the story took a new turn with lots of twists.

Gradually, Lacey’s friends came to reveal their secrets of Lacey, leading to the murder in the end.

I love the tension created by the author throughout the story as I was not able to identify who is the culprit here.

That’s all I want in my thriller stories.

Overall, it was a gripping read

I absolutely love psychological thrillers and this one did not disappoint. I had really thought that I had figured out who the killer was but boy was I wrong. When the killer was revealed I had to put down my kindle and compose myself. I liked how the author followed the main character as she worked through all the problems that stemmed from the beach party, even though it definitely complicated matters. I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you NetGalley and bookouture for this ARC.

The Beach Party by Amy Sheppard

Published: August 30, 2022
Bookouture
Pages: 301
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Amy Sheppard is a busy mum of two boys living in Cornwall. Her obsession with making budget-friendly family dinners led her writing two cookbooks. Amy creates recipes for her followers and brands @amysheppardfood
Her debut novel is out in August 2022. A psychological thriller set in Cornwall called 'The Beach Party.'

“I feel nothing but dread.”

Katie has spent her life on the edge of excitement. She has always been alright I’m with not being in the thick of things. When her influencer best friend decided they would start a true crime podcast, Katie went along with it even though she wasn’t interested in creating a podcast. When the pair get an opportunity to investigate an unsolved cold case, Katie is shocked when Sophie announces she’s chosen a case from Katie’s hometown. Katie has reservations but, like always, goes along with the plan. As they get closer to the truth, Katie starts remembering more about that night.

Welp, the twist in this one made my jaw hit the floor. I fought. I had figured it out, and I was reading along, ready to be right. Plot. Twist. Not only was I wrong, but I also wasn’t even in the realm of close.

I loved the setting for this story. Pengully was beautifully described, and I could almost feel the sea breeze and hear the seagulls. The vividness of the scenery was brought to life in such a way that the town was a character.

I enjoyed the characters in this novel. They were all so well defined, and each had distinctive personalities. I love Katie. She was someone I could identify with in a lot of ways. Sophie was confident and bold. Tom was sturdy and kind.

Each character was presented in a way that gave you just a glimpse of who they were and just enough space to think everyone had a motive.

For a debut novel to be so well done and have such a deliciously concealed twist is fantastic. Amy Sheppard is a gifted storyteller, and she creates dynamic characters and has a beautiful ability to bring her scenery to life. I look forward to reading more of her thrillers in the future.

The twist in this one will slap you in the face. You won’t see it coming. I couldn’t put this book down. I had to know! Everything about the story was beautifully done. The pacing was perfect, the way the story was told worked so well, and the pop culture relevance was spot on.