The Welcome Party

by Samantha Verant

Amanda Kensington is trapped in a marriage to a charming, dangerous man. He’s told her he’ll kill her before he’ll divorce her—and she believes him. She’s been hiding the bruises for too long, and now she’s plotting her escape, one careful move at a time. But someone else is watching and playing a much more calculated game.

She’s just moved to their exclusive, lakeside community, and she’s driven, brilliant, and obsessively focused on Amanda’s life. On Amanda’s house. On Amanda’s husband.

She’s been watching them all for years.

As secrets surface along with a body in the lake, three women—the wife, the investigating detective, and the obsessive newcomer—are about to discover just how well they know their neighbors.

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 8, 2026

About the author

Samantha Vérant is a travel addict, a self-professed oenophile, and a determined, if occasionally unconventional, at-home French chef. Over the years, she’s visited many different countries, lived in many places, and worked many jobs— always on the search for the one thing that truly excited her. Then, one day, she found everything she’s been looking for: a passion for the written word and true love. Writing not only enabled her to open her heart, it led her to southwestern France, where she’s now married to a sexy French rocket scientist she met over twenty years ago, a stepmom to two incredible kids, and the adoptive mother to one ridiculously adorable Charteux cat. When she’s not trekking from Provence to the Pyrénées, tasting wine in American-sized glasses, or embracing her inner Julia Child while deliberating what constitutes the perfect boeuf bourguignon, Samantha is making her best effort to relearn those dreaded conjugations.

Reviews

[Bo.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha Vérant’s The Welcome Party was a solid 3.5⭐️ domestic thriller for me, easy to read, well-paced, with short chapters and really accessible writing that made it a quick and engaging one to get through.

It was a nice little touch that every chapter opened with a song title and artist, which seemed to subtly hint at the mood or direction of each chapter, giving it that “soundtrack” feel that might work well for readers who like listening to music while they read.

The Enclave, an exclusive lakeside community, is a setting I really liked. It has this slightly eerie undertone that works almost like a mirror for the story’s secrets, where everything looks calm and polished on the surface but there’s definitely more going on underneath. The homes have that idyllic, picture-perfect feel, where everyone seems to be living these manicured lives, but there’s clearly an undercurrent of tension and hidden truths just beneath it all.

While it definitely sits in familiar domestic thriller territory, I did enjoy the underlying obsession and fixation running through it, especially the way things slowly start to connect and overlap. The author also does a good job of building tension through shifting perspectives, with this constant feeling that everyone is being watched or kept an eye on by someone else, which adds a slightly creepy edge to it all.

All in all, it was still an enjoyable read, even if it didn’t quite bring anything especially new to the genre for me. I just found myself wanting a bit more impact, or that extra “something” to really make it stand out.

Still, I think this would work well for fans of domestic noir and psychological thrillers with messy relationships, unreliable narrators, nosy neighbours, community secrets, and that very Desperate Housewives-style suburban drama.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another ‘trapped in a marriage where everyone thinks they have the perfect life ’ story here. This is one trend I’ll be glad to see the back of, because authors ran out of different ways to tell this a long time ago. So if it’s not going to be original, it should at least be good. And this one is decent. Amanda is married to Scott, the wealthy executive husband whom everyone knows is cheating on her and treating her terribly. She won’t leave because he’ll kill her, so she begins plotting against him.

Hilary is new to the neighborhood and is immediately not trusted because she’s single with no kids. That’s it. That’s literally the whole reason the neighbors are wary of her. Because apparently, you can’t move into a family-friendly neighborhood without a family now, no matter how wealthy you are.

And Hilary certainly is wealthy, because she ‘works in finance’ which literally no character ever follows up on for details. I don’t understand this trope. Is it the people who work in finance who assume no one is smart enough to understand what they do? Or is it the people who don’t work in finance that think they aren’t smart enough to understand any further details they’d ask about?

Anyway, Hilary works in finance, and even though it happened before she moved in, she’s one of the first suspects when a dismembered hand is found on the beach. Yes, she hadn’t even moved in yet. I mean, you just can’t take any of this seriously, so I’m really hoping that’s what the author was going for.

Turns out, Amanda isn’t the only one with an agenda regarding Scott, and when she and Hilary become friends, it’s hard to tell who is playing whom.

My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the free advanced reading copy of this book.

[KELLY · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This is my 1st Samantha Vérant book and it did not disappoint. This is a twisty psychological thriller that pulled me in from the start.

Within minutes of reading, screams erupt after a severed hand is discovered on the shore of a private lake. Amanda’s seemingly perfect life, carefully curated on social media, has made her the obsession of Hillary, a woman who wants everything Amanda has. What starts as unsettling behavior quickly spirals into full-fledged stalker territory, and Hillary refuses to back down.

I really enjoyed the fast pace and the way the story unfolded. The psychological mind games, mounting paranoia, and constant tension kept me engaged as investigators worked to uncover the truth behind the severed hand found in the beach.

Thank you Samantha Vérant, Storm Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Read on releases date 7/08/2026.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Kensington is trapped in a marriage to a charming, dangerous man. He’s told her he’ll kill her before he’ll divorce her – and she believes him. But her new neighbor, Hilary, also has a past with Scott. Hmmmm, what will these two cook up?

This is my fifth book by this author – I love her writing. This one combines the perfect psychological thriller elements: unreliable narrators, affluent neighbors hiding violence, and many female perspectives telling the story – Amanda, Hilary, and the detective. This was a quick page-turner with lots of twists to keep you interested, and a surprising ending – a perfect thriller! Can’t wait to read another one of her books!

[Sally Royer-Derr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prologue instantly pulled me into this twisty tale of obsession, where the surface of everything is beautiful, and darkness lurks beneath. Samantha Verant is one of my favorite thriller authors, and this one is no exception. I loved it!

Fast-paced and fueled with a creepiness of being watched, wondering why, and then turning that consuming fear to someone else makes this domestic thriller a MUST READ for your TBR!! Just make sure the curtains are closed and the lights are on; you never know who could be watching...

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous novel that I raced through! Nancy finds a severed hand on the shore of the exclusive Enclave which houses a private lake. Amanda and Scott live there with their two young sons and Amanda worries that something nefarious is going on, but Scott is so often out of town that he can't be bothered by it. Enter Hilary, Scott's on-again, off-again girlfriend, who no one really knows as she tries to befriend the residents. It's a wild ride with many unexpected twists that may make you wary of the beach this summer!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Caitie Leonard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seem to be in the minority by not caring for this book. I love a good domestic thriller featuring an upper echelon neighborhood, but this one didn’t do it for me. I don’t think the story flowed very well, the reason for one character’s disdain for another is so thin, and it was just kind of a jumble. I liked the premise, but this one is not my favorite.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I would say it didn't kick in for me until around 40% then I was hooked.
Didn't see the ending coming.
Definitely recommend this thriller.
Love the cover as well
Some good twists and turns through out which kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this book for an honest review

[Samantha Verant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the neighborhood. :)