In this stunning and provocative domestic drama about a sweet sixteen birthday party that goes horribly awry, a wealthy family in San Francisco finds their picture-perfect life unraveling, their darkest secrets revealed, and their friends turned to enemies. One invitation. A lifetime of regrets. Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming-of-age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim … passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah–a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?
But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to come apart. In the ugly aftermath, friends become enemies, dark secrets are revealed in the Sanders’ marriage, and the truth about their perfect daughter is exposed.
If you loved Liane Moriarty’s and HBO’s Big Little Lies, you’ll love The Party by Robyn Harding. This fast paced book exposes how even the most perfect of families can be shadowed by lies and betrayals. This is one page-turner you’re going to want to bring with you on vacation, to the beach, and add to your nightstand to be read.more
This story would be a good one for parents hosting a party for their sixteen year olds. It is the story of the Sanders family, who give their daughter Hannah a party for her sixteenth. She has four friends over for a sleepover. After the food has been provided, Mum and dad make themselves scarce. Unfortunately things get out of hand and we are taken on a journey that has many twists and turns. I found it a great read and would recommend it.
This was a killer of a story! I absolutely loved it! A sweet sixteen party for Hannah at her home, goes terribly wrong. Even though her parents said there were to be no drugs, no alcohol and no boys, her four friends brought in all three. The next thing we know is that Hannah’s parents, Jeff and Kim, are woken up and see Hannah with blood on her hands. One of her friends is injured, are Jeff and Kim culpable, even though they made the rules very clear? Even if not legally culpable, should they be held responsible? Characters choose sides, make judgments and Jeff and Kim do not make the best choices. The ending was a real killer, did not expect that! An edge of your seat thriller, with characters you will dislike and you will want to shout at them to make the right choices!
A wonderfully horrific suspense! This is a fairly new to me author but I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of her books. A tale of greed, jealousy, and backstabbing among friends. Enjoy!
Hannah is excited and nervous about her Sweet 16 party….a small group of friends coming over for a sleepover, what can go wrong? As you read this book, you will see from the beginning that this is a night no one will ever forget. It starts off with a bang, and the fallout continues from there. What happens at the party and after, was not shocking, but sadly realistic. Nice little twist at the end.
This book should be required reading for all parents when their children are in their early teens AND for all teens entering high school. With that being said, I found this book touched on so many relevant subjects; underage drinking, drug use, bullying, sexting, entitlement, lying, secrets, exclusion, absent parenting, fun vs strict parenting, lawsuits and most of all, consequences.
Very relative book, well researched and well written. Extremely fast read. Read with a friend or your teenager, so much to talk about.
Why This Book
The publisher, Gallery Books, sent me a copy of this book either because I won a Goodreads Giveaway or they thought I might like the book (I get lots of books and I can’t remember how this one came to me exactly). I’m trying to close up my 2017 Reading Challenge and clean off all the outstanding books my bookshelf, so this one’s turn was up next! Overall, it gets 3.5 stars!
Plot, Characters & Setting
Hannah is turning 16. Her parents throw her and some friends a party in the basement of their $2.5 million San Francisco home. Hannah invites some of the popular girls, as her fame is on the rise. She wants to fit in, but the girls bring alcohol and drugs. When something awful happens, her parents, Jeff and Kim, are thrust into a lawsuit and a divided high school. Hannah’s friends are typical 16-year-old girls searching for acceptance and adult experiences. Kim and Jeff’s marriage is having a few issues and they are each keeping a secret from one another. Their friends aren’t sure what’s wrong, but someone isn’t telling the truth about the night of the party. The novel explores the lengths to which parents will go to protect their children, as well as those young adults will go to keep their own secrets.
Approach & Style
I read this 340 page paperback book in two sittings over the course of one day. It absorbed me! It’s told in third person POV from the perspective of 4 or 5 main characters. Chapters alternate their focus, revealing different aspects of a story over the course of a 6-month period. The writing is clear and concise, which made it quite a quick read.
Strengths & Concerns
Harding quickly makes you dislike these characters, which is a good thing. I was immediately taken back to what life was like in high school for many students. While I felt some components were an exaggeration, I also know that things like this happened to varying degrees. For the most part, it really captured the reality of what 16-year-old girls go through, but it also showcased a particularly nasty strain of kids hoping to climb to the top. It angered me (the plot), but it also impressed me (the quality of the details). I enjoyed the leaps between different characters. It was a page-turner for me and brought me back to when I once lived in San Francisco.
On the flip side, the ending was not what I wanted nor expected. It had a few too many open questions. For a story with lots of tight components, I think this was a bit of a let-down. Ultimately, I’m not sure if I learned a less or just saw a slice of life during a short time period. I’d be fine if it were either case, but it was a bit too blurry. I definitely took sides in the conflict, which makes me wonder what kind of a person I am… in terms of who I rooted for. While I understand both sides, ultimately, the wrong people were punished for something they had little responsibility for. At the same time, it propelled the lives of every person in that school toward a new direction. If everything came together better in the end, this would have been a solid 4-rated book for me, but it unraveled in a few too many places so I knocked a half star off.
Final Thoughts
I’d still recommend this book despite the ending which threw me too much. You’ll be drawn in and really enjoy witnessing the battle, as there isn’t necessarily a right and wrong in an unfortunate accident like this one. It’s a strong point of view and really shows the differences in the way parents and children think.
The Party is about parents and teenagers who make one tiny little misstep that resulted in tragedy. All they have worked for and toward, possibly coming to an end because a completely innocent birthday party at their home.
Fast-paced and hard to put it down!
Not sure what category I got this book from, I think YA.
Anyway, it made me very glad that I didn’t grow up with social media and neither did my daughter. It makes me worry for my granddaughter. The book will maybe be a lesson to women who think they kniw their children.
absolutely loved this book! it kept me guessing throughout the whole thing! would def recommend!
While this book wasn’t filled with suspense, it kept my attention page after page. I really enjoyed reading this book and think that it is certainly a great summer read. Quick paced!
I liked this book it was different and unexpected twist. I am sure this could really happen in real life.
Easily could happen
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Characters were great. Didn’t want it to end. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
This was a great story. I highly recommend it.
Disturbing in a thought provoking way. Robyn Harding does a wonderful job of showing how easy it is to fall from the in group to being judged and bullied. Even adults do it. The characters are well written.
This was an easy read and enjoyable, although a fairly predictable plot line.
Quick read with a good story line. Shows you never know what goes on behind closed doors of a family. Good lessons, satisfying ending!
I didn’t like the outcome but the story was well told nonetheless. Gripping account of a relatable situation.
Really enjoying this book. Not quite finished but it’s really interesting. Page-turner.
Fun summer read. Couldn’t put it down. The plot is pretty realistic, unfortunately. If you like thrillers with a sense of heart, this a good choice.