I was looking for a beachy read while on vacation, even if it was a mystery set at the beach, but this was the wrong choice. I struggled to finish this one.

This book made absolutely no sense to me. About halfway through, when I was desperate to DNF it, I couldn't decide if the narrator/main character was insane or a narcissist. Her personality and reactions were all over the place. She was constantly imagining that people were "anxious" or "cold" or "icy" around her when their actions or behavior reflected no such thing. The plot and the mystery were not helped by the very awkward and stilted writing style, which was full of incomplete sentences and grammatical errors, as well as overly descriptive language that added nothing to the story. Here are just a few examples:

Kindle location 209: "Sophie wanted to cover a murder that happened in Cornwall. It had happened in the town where I grew up. Where Tom grew up. Her name was Lacey Crew. She was murdered five years ago, a few months before I moved to London."

Kindle location 247: "So, he built a bigger house. Next to the old one. Bigger and newer."

Kindle location 1382: "Rebecca Rush, stood at the top of the stairs." This is an actual sentence. Why is there a comma there? Not to mention the many sentences that started with "Me and Sophie" or Me and Tom." I don't if it was supposed to be more conversational, but it drove me crazy!

Kindle location 2956: "I went upstairs and ran a bath. The water fell noisily from the wide tap, like a shiny pond feature."

Kindle location 2244: "He cleared his throat awkwardly as he went by, our smells colliding as we passed each other. Shower gel and coconut shampoo mingled with his sweet musky body spray." No. Just no. Please stop.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Amy Sheppard for the ARC of The Beach Party. The plot was an interesting concept of two podcasters covering a cold case murder that happened five years earlier. The story has a great pace, full of suspense, with some great twists. I recommend adding this book to your summer reading list.

The Beach Party was a wild ride! I enjoyed every second of it and found myself sneaking reading in during breaks whenever I could.

The story follows Katie, who is a journalist creating a podcast with her best friend (Sophie) about a murder that happened in her home town 5 years ago. As Katie and Sophie begin investigating, they uncover some shocking truths about the murdered girl's life.

This is the third or fourth book I've read so far this year with an investigative podcast as part of the plot and I can say I dig it! True crime podcasts have caught the attention of many people in the past few years, so it is only natural that they are making an appearance in books, too.

I loved Amy Sheppard's descriptions of Pengully. The beach, Red Rock cottage & house, Megan's shop, the Bull, Carmen - all of these places had firm pictures in my mind and I found it easy to jump back and forth between scenes with these pictures.

I do wish the author had developed Tom and Katie's relationship a bit more. There was so much tension between them, but not much happened. It would have been a nice change for Katie to have someone solid to rely on after being tossed around by many people in the book. Even Sophie, her best friend, left for significant portions of time, leaving Katie alone to ponder her thoughts.

The writing was a bit basic with shorter sentence structures, but this made it an easy, uncomplicated read. A quick thriller to read at the beach or during a rainy day/thunderstorm. Not too scary, but enough action to keep you hooked! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Beach Party by Amy Sheppard is a twisty thriller that would make the perfect beach read! The story revolves around Katie, who is doing a Serial-like true-crime podcast with her best friend Sophie. They decide to focus on the unsolved case of Lacey, a beautiful and popular girl. She also died in Katie's hometown, so she has a personal connection to the case. Can they figure out who wanted Lacey dead? What went wrong at the beach party?

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"It was still dark when I turned onto Sophie’s road. Neon green numbers flashed the time in the center of the dashboard: 5:22 a.m. I drank the last mouthful of coffee from my travel mug. It tasted strong and metallic. I’d made it in the darkness of my kitchen before I left only ten minutes ago. It seemed like longer.
I hadn’t been to Sophie’s flat for a while. Maybe weeks. There was a time when we were always at each other’s houses. That was before I got a job, before Tom. Tom is Sophie’s boyfriend. He was a friend from home; a friend from Cornwall. At least, that’s what we used to be. I’m not sure what we are now."

Overall, The Beach Party is a thriller that will appeal to grown-up fans of Pretty Little Liars or We Were Liars. Content warning: sexual assault. One highlight of this book is how fast-paced it is after the midway point. Another highlight of this book is the twist, which I absolutely did not see coming. I did take off 1 star, because the first half barely had any thrills. It does pick up midway through. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of domestic thillers, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in August!

Book: The Beach Party
Author: Amy Sheppard
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
My Rating: 3.3 Stars

While attending college in London, Katie and Sophie decided they are going to start a True Crime Podcast called "Small Town". However, after college Sophie becomes a much followed fashion/beauty blogger. The blog with Katie has been on hold until a radio station commissions them to do six episodes on the unsolved murder of 19 year old Lacey Crew that occurred five years ago in Katie’s hometown.

Katie was never a real close friend of Lacey’s but has many mutual friends. Katie is fearful that the investigation will not only discover whodunit but will reveal some nasty things about people she loved.

Story was a bit slow ~ hung in there as I was curious.
‘Whodunit’ was a surprise to me!!

Enjoyed reading 'A Letter from Amy’ as well as Amy Sheppard’s 'Acknowledgements'; in her letter she mentions that she grew up in Cornwall Beach ~ wrote this book when she moved back for two' years and fell madly in love with it all over again.
Cornwall is the heart of all her stories.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 30 2022

I really wanted to like this, but I DNFed it at the 50% mark. The writing was a bit stilted, and I just did not care about Katie (the main character) at all. Sophie didn't make it any better, as she was very unlikable. I think the story had a lot going for it, as I like the podcast angle and the setup of the murder at the beach party. There was a plot forming, but it was very slow paced - not in a good way - with such short chapters, which I expected to give the book a boost, but there weren't enough twists and turns to justify such short chapters.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, and I won't be rating it on other sites since I did not finish it.

This thriller is a must read if you enjoy a great story. There is a bit back and forth in time but it is easy to follow. The story is a twisty road of lies and it is a great ride.

The Beach Party by Amy Sheppard lured me in with its alluring cover and enticing premise, and I am pleased to report that it did not disappoint.

A beach party with a group of friends ends in tragedy for the beautiful Lacey who is found dead in a carpark following the event. Five years later Katie, who was at the party that fateful night, returns to the Cornish town where the murder took place to participate in a podcast that is hosted by her friend Sophie. The two will interview those who were at the party, along with those who knew Lacey best in an effort to unravel what really happened on that terrible night that continues to haunt.

This was a compelling read that kept me mostly engaged, and I was as desperate as anyone to solve the mystery behind Lacey's death. Author Amy Sheppard is one to watch.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early read of The Beach Party!

This was such a great summer mystery read. Katie and Sophie are true crime podcasters, solving crimes from time to time. They are asked to cover a bigger crime and travel back to Katie's hometown to solve the murder of Lacey, who died at a party that Katie was also at. The imagery in Amy Sheppard's writing made is so clear to me as to the setting, the characters, and the feelings. I could not put this book down and read it over the course of 2 sittings!

As someone who reads a lot of mysteries, I thought I had figured out the killer, and I was wrong! I love a good twist. 4 starts only because there were a few details left unresolved I would have loved to see come full circle. Where did Sophie go when she went back to London? Did she ever find out more about Katie and Tom's relationship? And how did Lacey and Katie's stepfather even get together? What did their relationship mean? However, I will recommend this book to friends for an truly excellent beach murder mystery!

I really did want to like this book, as the blurb really sounded like something I was going to love. However I just didn't ever really get into it. I think it's because I just didn't like the main character which is always a little bit of an issue. But I wish the author lots of luck with it.

There was something about the blurb of The Beach Party that spoke to me with its beach setting and one of the people attending the party ending up dead. I was curious to see where the story would go and what happened to Lacey, and I've been looking forward to read it. Somehow, this book ended up being a mixed bag for me instead, and unfortunately it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. I'll try to explain briefly why.

I was definitely surprised that this story actually ended up being mostly set five years after the event, and I didn't see the podcast angle coming either. I'm not sure why especially the true crime podcast wasn't mentioned in the blurb to be honest, because it seems like such an essential part of the plot in the first place. It certainly was the element I liked most about the story, along with the mystery around Lacey's death. There were a lot of suspects to keep you busy, although I have to confess that I did guess what happened long before it was revealed.

One of the main issues I had was with the main characters. I REALLY didn't like Sophie and the fact that she does whatever she wants and doesn't seem to care or think about what other people want nor how events would affect them. The way she treats Katie definitely doesn't make their friendship seem credible; Katie herself was quite annoying as well though with her constant complaining and the characters in general lacked development for me. There also was both a love triangle vibe and multiple mentions of cheating; both elements I could have done without. Also, am I the only one bothered by the fact that Katie seems to have been in love with almost all the male main characters at some point?!

I have to say that I struggled with the writing itself as well. There are mainly short sentences and a lot of them aren't even proper full sentences at that... It made the flow of the story feel haltered and the pace itself dragged in parts. I also wasn't sure what to make of certain developments in the plot. There were times where something major was uncovered, only to almost immediately brush it under the carpet and never mention it again. It made the story feel incomplete, and the ending itself was a bit lacking for me as well.

All in all I ended up having mainly mixed thoughts about The Beach Party. It wasn't all bad and the premise and podcast angle were great, but there were other elements that lacked considerably for me. It's a short read though and it does read quite fast.

Full disclosure: I picked this book because I LOVED THE COVER! Hot pink, and so cute. I was not familiar with the author, but I was pleasantly surprised!

"The Beach Party," is about two best friends Sophie and Katie. Sophie is Instafamous and decides they should start a true crime podcast called "Small Town." The catch is, this podcast will cover a murder that happened while Katie was at the scene of the crime, a beach party years earlier. Sophie and Katie end up moving back to Katie's hometown to record the podcast. Through interviews with Katie's old friends, and research, the mystery of who killed Lacey unravels.

This is the perfect beach, or pool read. I did guess the ending, but still loved the journey. It is quite the page turner, and I would read another book by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets Will Out…
An unsolved murder becomes the focus of a small town true crime podcast where the hosts may just already be too involved and too close for comfort. Secrets will, of course, out. With a well drawn cast, twists aplenty and a slow burn tantalising suspense, the reader is drawn in towards the, perhaps, surprising denouement.

A well written book overall but a bit slow for me in parts unfortunately and I wasn't particularly keen on the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This mystery does a really good job keeping the reader engaged by providing small snippets of information at a time. You think you have solved it and then more information changes your mind.
Really nice writing style and easy to read however
there were some sections that were a little too slow paced for my reading preference.
I enjoyed the story more than I enjoyed the characters, I didn’t particularly like Katie as a main character; I found her a little bit obnoxious again that is just my reading taste.
Overall a middle do the road mystery for me.

I loved this book. I loved the plot since it was different then most:
Katie and her friend Sophie are heading back to Katie’s hometown where a girl Katie knew was murdered 5 years ago.
They are doing a podcast on the case hoping to find some answer.
And holy moly did they find some answers. I loved the writing in this book. I was really drawn into who killed Lacey. I did not expect who the killer was! I seriously guessed everyone else but the right one! Great story

It’s always horrifying and sad when someone is found dead. Murdered. But it’s even worse when it’s someone you know.

It goes without saying that the police will investigate and turn every stone in order to bring justice. They do their utter best, but they are not every time successful, unfortunately. Sometimes the killer is never found and the mystery remains just that: a mystery.

After a while, it’s case closed, but not solved. The detectives are forced to move on and there is either not enough money or enough people to keep the investigation going. That’s a pity, of course. A killer is allowed to keep their freedom. The family never gets closure.

The police can do a press conference and ask the public for help. They know from experience though, they will get of lot of tips, but more often than not they are pretty useless. Time and money is being spend and they have not come one centimetre closer to putting someone behind bars.

That’s why the media takes in upon themselves to create programs about true crime. Maybe they are more successful because people are afraid to talk to the police. They fear that what they say can be used against them and they keep quiet. They feel more comfortable talking to someone they know and has known the victim too.

In comes Katie. Her friend Sophie convinces her to make a podcast that will be aired on the radio. The only thing Katie is not happy with is the case Sophie picked…

In the beginning the story was a bit confusing, but in a way that is a good thing. This is a perfect ‘trick’ to make the reader curious, to reel them in and to make them stay in order to find out the what, why and where. 😊

So you have to be patient and work your way through it. But when, in the end, you get a great book, then it’s all worth it, don’t you agree?

I like the set-up of the story and I was constantly thinking about who the baddie could be. I, for sure, did not see this coming. I was completely surprised when the name was revealed. Love it. 4 stars.

Thank you

The plot of the story sounded interested--five years ago, Lacey was found strangled at a beach house after a beach party. Now Katie has returned back to the small Cornish town with her friend Sophie to do a podcast on Lacey's murder. But as they start questioning and meeting the people for the podcast, secrets are revealed which would soon be deadly...

As I mentioned earlier, the plot was interesting, which was the main reason why I requested this book. However, the book started out a little slow but gradually it picked up its pace with some twists and turns. It's not really a fast paced thriller but it was OK. However, the reason why I gave this book a higher rating is because the ending was completely and totally unexpected that it actually blew my mind off! Especially the revelation of who actually killed Lacey on the night of the beach party. The way the story was executed was not really good and the writing wasn't really great either but it was overall an OK thriller. The characters are all too bland to me, particularly the main character Katie--I didn't really click with the main character much.

Overall, if you like a thriller which is slow burn, then this book might be one for you. Worth only 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.
Great Book.
Kate is a woman who since she wass a kid had to face problems with her mom.
She manage a podcast with her friend of unsolved murders . Whe her friend decide to talk about a murder who happened in her town, Kate face again things that happened that she doesn't want to revive.
Th struggles of Kate are hard, you feel how she suffers to uncoverall the tragedy that happens in her past.
It was great that you can accompany her in her travel of accept what happen and try to get over it.
I didn't expect the final, wasa really great. Amazing plot

If you’re going to take over hot coals you will get burnt. Great original story. It’s an easy read and a new take on a story was was really original.