The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella #bookreview #contemporary #romance #chicklit

Title: The Party Crasher

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Publisher:  The Dial Press

Publication Date: October 12, 2021

Page Count:  352

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Your Life comes a humorous and heartwarming novel about family, set against the backdrop of the most fabulous party you’ve ever snuck into.

It’s been over two years since Effie’s beloved parents got divorced, destroying the image of the happy, loving childhood she thought she had. Since then, she’s become estranged from her father and embarked on a feud with his hot (and much younger) girlfriend, Krista. And now, more earth-shattering news: Greenoaks, the rambling Victorian country house Effie called home her whole life, has been sold.

When Krista decides to throw a grand “house cooling” party, Effie is originally left off the guest list—and then receives a last-minute “anti-invitation” (maybe it’s because she called Krista a gold-digger, but Krista totally deserved it, and it was mostly a joke anyway). Effie declines, but then remembers a beloved childhood treasure is still hidden in the house. Her only chance to retrieve it is to break into Greenoaks while everyone is busy celebrating. As Effie sneaks around the house, hiding under tables and peeping through trapdoors, she realizes the secrets Greenoaks holds aren’t just in the dusty passageways and hidden attics she grew up exploring. Watching how her sister, brother, and dad behave when they think no one is looking, Effie overhears conversations, makes discoveries, and begins to see her family in a new light. Then she runs into Joe—the love of her life, who long ago broke her heart, and who’s still as handsome and funny as ever—and even more truths emerge.

But will Effie act on these revelations? Will she stay hidden or step out into the party and take her place with her family? And truthfully, what did she really come back to Greenoaks for? Over the course of one blowout party, Effie realizes that she must be honest with herself and confront her past before she’ll ever be able to face her future.

While I haven’t read anywhere near all of Sophie Kinsella’s books I have read enough that when I saw The Party Crasher I knew I needed to read it. This one is of course a contemporary romance or chicklit novel that of if you are familiar with the author you probably know it’s filled with humor and a side of romance.

Effie has been estranged from her father since at the last family gettogether she attended she had it out with his new girlfriend. Effie sees Krista as nothing but a gold digger and really wishes her parents had never divorced at all bringing Krista into their lives. The latest slight comes when Effie finds out that her beloved childhood home is being sold and Krista has not invited her to their goodbye party. Effie comes up with a plan to sneak into the party to retrieve some of her childhood memories before it’s all gone.

The Party Crasher got off to a somewhat slower start for me than some of Sophie Kinsella’s other books have. To be honest I wasn’t sure if I was even going to like Effie in the beginning but I did end up liking her and having all of the laughs that I expect to have from this author. This one is definitely more on the chicklit side as the family feud is the main focus and the romance is barely there. I didn’t mind that fact so much myself but that would be my biggest warning when picking this one up if that is what you are searching out. In the end I enjoyed this one despite the slower start for me and would recommend it.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

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