Reviewer: Andrea
I received this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Although the countryside town of Beeversham looks picture-perfect, nothing is quite as it seems. Behind closed doors, three women are struggling to lead the lives they want…
Vanessa seems like she simply must have it all – she’s beautiful, rich and married to gorgeous actor, Conrad. But beneath the glitz, she is asking herself whether this really is the life she wants to lead – when she has so much, why does she feel so empty?
Meanwhile, Fleur is trying desperately to save the farm that her family have lived on for hundreds of years, when playboy Beau makes her an offer she can’t refuse…
And Catherine has given up the high-flying career she thought she always wanted, and is trying to build a wonderful new life in the country. But finding rural bliss is harder than it looks.
Hopes and dreams, loves and losses – and lots and lots of secrets – let Jo Carnegie take you behind the scenes of one very special town…
Review:
The entire time I was reading Party Games I felt like I was watching a guilty-pleasure marathon of my favorite Lifetime movies. I found myself thinking about the characters when I wasn’t reading, rather insanely wondering what was going on in Beeversham while I was cooking my family supper. The POV alternates (though not in a fixed pattern) between Vanessa, Fleur, and Catherine. Each of these women has unique challenges, and though I couldn’t actually identify personally with any of them, I very much enjoyed delving into their lives. You see a wide range, everything from virginal sweetheart Fleur –my favorite—to ultra-bitchy Vanessa, and let’s not forget the men! They run the gamut as well, and I couldn’t quite decide which I liked best; each was juicier than the next.
If you decide to read this novel, find yourself a good British slang website—you’ll need it. Also, at the risk of showing how fashionably challenged I am, I didn’t recognize many of the designer references. In fact, I was a bit frustrated with all the name dropping. They’re rich; I get it. I don’t need to know they’re wearing La Perla underwear. The number of characters introduced in the first few chapters and their lengthy backstories were overwhelming as well, but you will need all of those backstories eventually, and while it’s somewhat cheesy and predictable at times, overall, it’s still a good read.
