The Party - Robyn Harding

A NetGalley e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Sanders is turning 16! She is about to have a sleepover party full of food, games, and unbeknownst to her parents, booze, drugs, and boys. It’s all fun and games until someone loses their eye.

Jeff and Kim can’t believe that their oldest child is 16 already. Their perfect little girl is growing up. Kim is the perfect parent and works hard to maintain her perfect reputation within the community. So when she wakes up in the middle of the night from a wine and Ambien sleep with her daughter at the end of the bed with her hands covered in blood she is just a little shocked.

As the nights event unravel the truth is exposed about the Sander’s and all those involved in that horrific night. Are the Sander’s at fault for not babysitting the party? Are the kids at fault for sneaking in the booze and drugs? Or did the train wreck start before Hannah and her friends were even born?

This book not only exposes a family’s secrets but the horror and pressure that teenagers face to fit in and be cool. How one child can be the driving force of a chaos that will lead to a lifetime of disfigurement and regrets.

I liked the basic plot of this story. The party, the accident and the follow up could happen to any family. The struggle with the teenage relationships, the trying to fit in and be cool of children and parents alike is relatable. The internal struggle that Hannah feels over wanting to be liked an popular and the horrible bullying that her one time friend faces felt natural. Yes, you wanted to punch and kick and scream at the characters. How can they not see how stupid they are. Well, humans are emotional and messy creatures. We do the best with what we know at the time we are faced with the decision. I think the author did a good job with showing that.