Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
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The perfect birthday or the perfect nightmare?

Katelyn smiles around at her husband and friends, gathered to celebrate her thirty-sixth birthday in their beautiful home decorated with fairy lights. But the next day Katelyn wakes up shaken and terrified in a hospital bed…

She doesn’t remember the sweet taste of birthday cake icing, or how angry her best friend was at midnight, or the terrible things her husband said. She doesn’t remember the party at all.
When she asks her husband what happened the night of the party he says ‘nothing’. But her blood runs cold at the way his voice lilts slightly. The way it always does when he is lying.
Did someone at the party harm her?

What is her husband hiding?

Or did Katelyn herself do something terrible?

Only one thing is certain. Nobody can be trusted. And if Katelyn’s memories of the party do come back, it will tear them all apart…

Oooh, the lovely post-party memories that went completely cock-eyed as Katelyn does not remember anything … AND I MEAN NOTHING AT ALL. Can we trust the hubby? Her friends? Her memory? Read the book and find out and treat every future party with a side-eye glance at the other people there as you really should NOT trust anyone. At all. A fabulously ripping yarn I will recommend far and wide.

#shortbutsweetreviews

Katelyn is an unwanted child, her mother is an alcoholic who frequently 'gives up' drinking, but goes back to it. She is rescued by Leah's mother when she is not picked up at school, and Leah's mother makes her part of the family.
Katelyn and Leah are friends until adulthood, and Katelyn marries Leah's ex boyfriend.
At her 36th birthday party, there is an incident, and it causes Katelyn to suffer a TGA, and she loses her memory for a matter of hours.
Their friendship suffers, and Katelyn's marriage is very rocky after this.

Nicole Trope writes very twisty psychological thrillers which are unputdownable and entertaining, keeping the reader engrossed.
This one is no different. I couldn't wait to see what the next chapter led to.
It is written in different timelines, from Katelyn and Leah's childhood until Katelyn's birthday party and beyond. The characters seem to be friends on the surface, but there is an underlying dislike and lots of jealousy.

This is a highly entertaining book, and quite chilling - if you cannot trust your best, lifelong friend, who can you trust?

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

I did NOT see that coming, whew! What a ride! Between friendships, husbands, ex husbands and motherhood, then life, emotions and some amnesia, The complexities and twists just kept coming! I loved it! The end had my jaw on the floor and a big smile come over my face! I didn’t expect that at all!
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was very excited to read this book, which promised many twists. Unfortunately I was disappointed, the story although it was entertaining, at no time managed to surprise me, it was as if everything shocking was warned before. At no time was I expectant, nor did I elaborate theories of anything. I feel like the big mystery that happened at the party, was never really a mystery.
What stood out most about the book was the chapter in which the girls met, which I loved.

The Day After the Party by Nicole Trope was an automatic read for me, as I will greedily devour anything that this brilliant author puts forth.

Katelynn awakens the morning after her thirty-sixth birthday party, unable to recall the events of the night before. Her husband is vague in answering her questions, but her best friend Leah was also there, so surely she will be more forthcoming with details, however difficult they are to hear. But strangely, Leah seems to be hiding something from her as well. Just what transpired on the night of the birthday party?

This is a domestic thriller that gains in momentum as the narrative progresses. Though not my favourite read from the author, it did succeed in getting my heart racing more than once. I cannot wait to see what the talented Ms Trope has in store for us next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Well, this was riveting! Truthfully, I couldn’t put it down. I love books with this kind of pace. Great book and congrats. I’m sure many more will enjoy it as well. I loved it . . . stayed up late to finish it!

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for the copy of The Day After The Party by Nicole Trope. I liked the premise, but it turned out to be a standard, run-of-the-mill thriller. I think I needed something more memorable and compelling. Katelyn’s character was a typical privileged woman, even though the author triedto paint her terrible childhood it never rang true. While it wasn’t for me, it might be for you - women who can relate more to the characters and love lots of “twists and turns'' will love this fast, simple read.

I wasn't very impressed with this book. I feel like Trope has been veering away from the psycho thriller genre. Her last few novels have been more slow burn, dramatical works of fiction. The synopsis was intriguing, and I thought, YES, she's back with the craziness! There are definitely moments of crazy and twistedness in this story, but it was more a long, drawn-out mystery of what happened the night of the party. The first 40% of the story dragged. The POVs bounce back and forth between past years of Katelyn and Leah's friendship and the time right after the party. The lengthy backstory did well with establishing Leah's character; however, it took away from the building tension leading up to what really happened "that night". The reveals were soft and anticlimactic and held no shock value for me. I think that if I knew less about Leah, I would have been more surprised and experienced more emotion. There were also a few direct contradictions in parts of the dialogue. It's possible that these were errors and will be fixed in editing. If not, they were misleading and confusing. Overall, it was a mediocre story. It was interesting and crazy for sure. It just wasn't that exciting for me. Hoping that others will enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Another nail biter by Nicole! Katelyn and Leah have been best friends since they were little. Leah's family has always treated her like one of her own. As an adult, Leah starts to unravel and shows jealousy of Katelyn and all he has. Katelyn throws herself a birthday party but does not remember what happened. Her husband takes her to the hospital until her memory comes back. Once she is home, glimpses start to occur and she realizes her husband, Leah, and Leah's ex all have secrets that could be Katelyn's undoing. Who can she trust? Who is the worst liar of all. Loved it!