The Child at the Party: A gripping and utterly unputdownable page-turner

by Sam Vickery

Could she be my husband’s secret daughter?

Rose’s birthday party was everything I could have dreamed of; she adored her unicorn cake and balloons, and the surprise of her whole class arriving to celebrate. And now all the parents and children have left, I can finally relax – and find out exactly why my husband, Phil, disappeared halfway through. But who is the little girl still perched at our dining room table?

My daughter says she doesn’t know her.

The child’s eyes fix on the family photo in front of her. Her fingers reach out to caress Phil’s dark hair beside mine and Rose’s golden locks.

And then I realise. She looks just like him.

Years ago, my husband made a terrible mistake. And when I finally face up to the secrets he’s hidden, will it tear our family apart?

A breathtaking, twisty and emotional page-turner perfect for fans of Linda Green, Liane Moriarty and Amanda Prowse.

What readers are saying about Sam

‘WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW… If I could rate this above 5, believe me I would!!… Wow… A true page-turner… The twists, the turns, had me holding my breath… HONESTLY the plot twist in this book you just won’t see it coming!!... Truly an amazing book!!’ whatsarahreads.x, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What an amazing unputdownable story! I started reading this book just before bed last night and the next thing I knew it was the early hours and I’d finished it. I couldn’t stop reading, I just had to know how it would end… My heart broke… I was on the edge of my seat… One that will stick with me forever!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow!!… Absolutely breathtaking and heart-stopping… Just completely blew me away... It sucked me in from page one.’ Bookworm 86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I can’t get over what I just read, my head is spinning, my mind is reeling, my heart is beating way too fast!… Completely gripping.’ live_love_read_review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow!… Fantastic in EVERY way!… Literally NO WAY of working out what’s actually happened until the end… Literally had me holding my breath and I just couldn’t stop reading until the end – I had to know!’ Sharon Valler, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow just wow!!! I’m gonna need a minute… absolutely amazing. Literally could not put this down – made me lose my mind!! I don’t have enough words to describe how much I enjoyed this… A must-read!’ Readingismy_happy_place, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I genuinely couldn’t put this down!… I didn’t see the twists coming… I absolutely loved it!’ maggie_books92, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow!!… I truly didn’t see the twist coming, and the ending left m

Genres: Psychological Thriller

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2026

Reviews

[Ney oh the thrill of it FN · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still reeling from how twisty and messed up this story got!

It begins with Emma throwing a birthday party for her daughter Rose. At the end of the party Emma discovers a little girl who is still there and is seemingly unaccounted for. Emma is convinced the child is connected to her husband, so logic fails her and she keeps hold of her whilst searching for the truth.

The story is told via multi pov and for the majority of this book it moves away from the inital discovery of the little girl and instead focuses on the past, slowly building to present times. Initially I was impatient and was desperate to know who the little girl was, but then the back story absolutely had me in a chokehold.

There is a secret that hangs ugly and cavernously between Emma and her former best friend. They haven't really been best friends for 2 years - my feelings towards both women flipped quicker than I could turn the pages!

As more is revealed about their past and other characters around them I was invested. Some of these characters are so unlikeable, you will love to hate them.

As I said at the beginning of this review, the twists were twisting and it might take you a minute to recover.

Sam does a great job of misdirecting some of them twists. She absolutely blindsided me and once they started they didn't stop till it was over.

This might be for you if you love a story where you don't know who to trust, you love a twist (or 10), and characters you can love to hate.

Thank you to Sam Vickery and Bookouture for this advanced complimentary copy via Netgalley. This review is being left voluntarily and all opinions expressed are my own.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Child at the Party is a twisty and page turning domestic thriller. Told from the POV’s of Emma, her sister Mabel and her friend Susie. To be honest I wasn’t expecting this book to turn out the way it did after I’d read the blurb. But I’m not in any way complaining, What I read was a book chock full of twists and turns. With lots of moments that had me gasping out loud. Some of the characters turned out very different to what I expected and one on in particular on several occasions had me rendered speechless. I’m usually fairly good at sussing out how things will pan out a lot of the times but this book threw me for six at times and I absolutely loved it.

[Lyndi (mibookobsession) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts with the birthday party Emma is holding for her 3 year old daughter Rose, and after everything is over, she goes looking for her husband Phil. What she finds instead shocks her into finding answers. A young girl at her table, staring at a picture of their family. A girl that looks just like her husband!
Then we jump back several years and hear the story from three different POV as parts of the truth are revealed a little at a time, with plenty of twists, unlikable, and untrustworthy characters. This book had me guessing until the end and I couldn't wait to find out what happened.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

[Clarabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and would give it 4/5 stars. It was a twisty and emotional read that kept me interested, and I honestly didn’t know where the story was going at times. The plot had plenty of surprises, and I liked how the secrets slowly came out. I also found the characters interesting and the family drama kept me wanting to read more. It was an easy book to get into and definitely a page-turner. The ending was satisfying, although there were a few parts I felt could have been even better. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes emotional, suspenseful books with lots of twists.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic thriller! Emma and Phil's little girl, Rose is turning 3 so Emma throws a party for her but is confused as a young girl they don't know shows up. Confused, she later goes to the store and sees old friend, Susie whom she hasn't seen for a while as they were both pregnant at the same time and Susie lost the baby. But then things get "messy" as Emma is caught between friendship, lies, misconceptions, and everything she thought she knew about truth and families! Loved it!

[Rebecca Tether · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was all over the place. Too much happening yet boring. Nothing realistic about this book. Just silly

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title is misleading

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this one had me immediately. A little girl gets left behind after a birthday party and then Emma realizes she looks just like her husband? I needed answers.

I do have to say, though...there is absolutely no way I would keep a random child that I didn't know overnight in my house. 😂 That decision pulled me out of the story right from the beginning, and I never fully got past it.

This ended up being much more about the relationships between Emma, her sister Mabel, and her former best friend Susie than it was about the little girl, and that wasn't what I was expecting. The multiple POVs and short chapters kept me reading, but the first half felt slower than I wanted. I kept waiting for it to really take off.

The more I learned about Emma, the less I liked her. Honestly, I didn't find myself rooting for anyone, which made it harder to get emotionally invested. Still, I know thriller authors love to save the good stuff for the end, so I stuck with it—and I'm glad I did because there were a couple of twists I didn't see coming.

Overall, this one just never completely clicked for me. I liked the idea more than I liked the journey getting there, but it was still an entertaining read with enough surprises to make me glad I finished it. If you enjoy domestic thrillers with messy friendships, family secrets, and plenty of twists, this one is worth checking out.

[KBeansbook · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT ‼️
Emma is married to her husband Phil and they share a 2 year old daughter Rose. Their relationship has been so distant and disconnected with Phil always having to work late or get called in that she doesn’t believe he’s there half as much as he claims yet she won’t dare confront her because her fear of her marriage imploding and the life she’s worked so hard to make would end. She’s been waiting for a promotion at her school, she’s been the assistant head for years and has just heard the school is likely hiring someone from outside the school, a man with his doctorate in education. She’s not going to be able to accept that and has been working to try to find a way to jeopardize his reputation to ensure she’s given the position she feels she deserves.
However, when Emma’s sister Mabel comes back from her travels just in time for her daughter Rose’s birthday, she is forced to think about the fact she is no longer friends with Susie, her estranged best friend and her husband Joe even though Phil still socializes with them. Since she and Susie were young, they planned to get married and have kids at the same time and raise them together. They did get pregnant at the same time yet it didn’t happen the way they’d imagined at all. Plus, Mabel took off to travel around the world leaving her medical studies in limbo when her fiancé just ghosted her a few weeks before their wedding via text. Worse, Susie had blamed herself and punished herself for this since it happened over a decade ago.
As Emma begins to try to mend the distance between she and Susie, she finds her broken, an alcoholic and a shell of the woman she once knew. She also notices how close and gentle her own husband is with her and it makes her wonder if they’re having an affair. She sees him leaving Susie’s house one day when he was supposed to be at work and on the day of their daughters birthday he left before they even had cake pleading a work emergency and never comes home that night. After the party, Emma finds a strange little girl she doesn’t know eating cake frantically at the table, she asks Rose if she knows who she is and she doesn’t. The little girl says her name is Billie and she’s holding a picture frame of Phil and kissing it. Emma begins to suspect this child is Phil’s and he’s left her there or her mother had. She finds a ring that she had come across in his drawer before Christmas she’d believed was for her but he’d never given it to her and it’s no longer there. She is convinced this little girl is her husbands and he’s not answering her calls. Mabel finally comes over to help her with the whole wild situation especially since Emma kept this little girl at her home overnight instead of calling the police immediately. When he walks through the door he’s accused of being her father which he thoroughly denies yet he does tell Emma something about his distance and the ring and who it’s for and that he is leaving her. Emma also is caught in a horrific unforgivable lie by another person she’s extremely close to and they give her an ultimatum threatening to expose her corrupt and criminal behavior that’s come forth. Rose was the reason why. This person knew that it was Emma who was profoundly unstable and had resorted to the most unhinged actions to get her way in her life, career and pregnancy. All the pain, suffering and cruel things she’d done to anyone she saw fit or as a threat to what she felt she was most deserving of and especially if someone was exceeding her in their talents or ascent into adulthood and paving a secure and successful future that would’ve superceded her own. She was manipulative, cunning, unnecessarily cruel and immorally corrupt. This person knew she would be a danger to the students who weren’t meek or proven to be more intelligent or talented than her. They feared she was a jealous, insecure and vindictive person who had severe mental health issues that made her a danger to all children and vulnerable people who weren’t intuitive or courageous enough to stand up to her bullying as they once had their whole life as well as several others who had the misfortune of being in close proximity of her.
This book is mind boggling and you couldn’t figure out where the next plot twist was coming from or how it was going to end if you tried. It is one of the most captivating and compelling books I’ve read in a long time. The execution of the authors final revelation and the myriad of plot twists that were so unsettling that I was actually exclaiming out loud several times while rapt with the brilliantly crafted and exceptionally written work of #SamVickery I am his newest and biggest fan! What a hell of a ride that was! Highly recommended
#NetgalleyARC #Thechildattheparty #Bookouture

[Kelly (aka jsybookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great twisty psychological thriller from Sam Vickery that kept me guessing all the way through. Fully deserved 4 stars for this one!

Emma is happily tidying everything up after everyone has left her successful birthday party for her three year old daughter, Rose, when she discovers a little girl at the kitchen table contentedly eating a slice of birthday cake. Emma or Rose doesn’t recognise the little girl, who is called Billie, but Emma assumes she has mistakenly been left behind, by her parents and they will soon realise and come back to get her or at least contact Emma. The rest of the afternoon and evening goes by and nobody turns up for Billie, Emma knows the sensible thing is to call the police, but for some reason instinct tells her not to, so she decides to let Billie stay for the night. Billie isn’t Emma’s only worry though, there are her work worries and also her husband, Phil, has been acting cold and strange lately and rushed off during the party citing work reasons and Emma can’t get hold of him. The next morning Phil still hasn’t been in contact, and Emma realises how stupid she has been letting Billie stay but feels it’s too late to call the police now. She is especially worried about what her involvement with the little girl will do to her career prospects as she is desperate to get the position of head teacher at the school she currently works at but what she has done has broken every single safeguarding rule she has been taught, so she tries to figure out the situation herself. Where is Phil and why isn’t he answering her calls and is he indeed connected to Billie in some strange way that Emma isn’t sure she wants to find out about?!

Well, this was one twisty read from Sam Vickery which I really enjoyed. I have to admit at times, especially at the start of the story, I felt like screaming at Emma to “just call the police” and yet she continued to frustrate me when she didn’t, but I also loved how Sam Vickery elicited this reaction out of me. I didn’t really like any of the characters but, to be honest, I do find that is par for the course with a lot of psychological thrillers that I read as very few characters in them are likeable. Despite not liking them I did find myself having sympathy for both of the main female characters but as I found out more about each one’s history, I found the sympathy switching from one to the other which was interesting and ultimately, I had no doubt who I felt sorry for at the end. I really enjoyed the parts of the story going back in history and finding out the background of the characters marriage and actions and what lead them to the story in the present time. It was definitely twisty and I did gasp at the twist in chapter 19- I did not see that coming and also the ultimate twist at the end was a surprise too, so great writing by Sam Vickery.

All in all, another great story from Sam Vickery that kept surprising me and also kept me turning pages. I would recommend this for any reader who enjoy the psychological thriller genre. A solid 4 star rating for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sam Vickery and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: The Child at the Party
Author: Sam Vickery
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Publishing Release Date: August 13, 2026
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages 264


Story is told from the POV of Emma, her sister Mabel and her best friend Susie.

Little Rose is turning three and is having her first birthday party. It seems the whole Nursery School class and their parents came. Rose was thrilled. Emma, Rose’s mother worked hard putting it all together and also was pleased that everyone including Rose enjoyed it but now loved the blissful quiet!
Emma wasn’t happy that her husband, Phil, got a call from work that took him away from the party.
But Rose was happily sitting on the floor playing with her new doll.
Emma noticed a wet spot on the floor so went to the kitchen to get a cloth to clean it up and found one little girl at the kitchen table eating leftover cake all by herself. Emma went searching to see if her mom was still there but no luck and returned to find the little girl holding a framed picture of her husband she found in the den - one cannot help but notice she looks just like him.

The story wasn’t what I was expecting - in fact I struggled to stay with it. However, since I have read other author Sam Vickery stories and I knew to hang in there as they will be twists and surprises.
I did hang in there but never got to the point of liking the characters. When I started the story, I felt sorry for Emma that Phil wasn’t there to help with their little daughters Birthday party. However, when I learned more about Emma I found I didn’t like her.
The ending was a surprise, but the story was only okay for me.

I was looking forward to reading the author’s note.
~ She tells us that she enjoyed writing this story and getting into the mind of these characters. ~

I must admit she did do a good job with THAT!

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 13, 2026.

[Susan McAulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was torn about this novel; it had many, many twists and turns which, of course, is the job of any decent suspense novel. On the other hand, the first half of the novel felt more like contemporary fiction. There was no real hint of what was to come. Perhaps I missed them, but there should have been more clues or foreshadowing of the raucous ride to follow. By the time we got to where the action was, it was relentless, however, and a little bit hard to follow. I don't think that any reader could have foreseen the ending, and while overall, that was a good thing, I would have enjoyed a little bit more of a build up to what was to come.
The other difficulty I had was that all of the characters were inherently unlikeable. I did not exactly hate them all but when I am reading a book, even a suspense novel, I want to be able to feel something about at least one of the characters. I am not saying that they should not have flaws but even poignant characters can have problems; they should have problems. Otherwise, they are not interesting. By the end, the author was clearly wanting us to feel sympathetic for one particular character but I found myself not really caring anymore about any of them. I did not mind the two main leads having morally ambiguous traits but instead of latching onto those, I found myself saying, oh well.
This is the first time I have read this author; I am not yet sure if I will read another by her. I might because I am not sure if this is representative of her writing and I do like the fact that she kept me guessing.
Thanks to NetGalley and to Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this novel. All of the opinions expressed herein are my own.

[Sharon Valler: Live Love Read Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super twisty. As Emma's young daughter Rose's birthday party comes to an end, a little girl no one recognises is left behind at the dining table, and it's clear from the way she reaches out to touch a family photo that there's more to her than a lost partygoer. Emma knows she should call the police, but as deputy head at a local school, she's so conscious of her career and reputation that she hesitates over anything that might cause a scandal. Her husband, Phil, has been oddly secretive and distant lately, and once Emma notices how much the child resembles him, she starts to panic that this could be the result of an affair.

As the story unfolds, it was fascinating to follow Emma's relationship with her estranged best friend Susie, alongside Phil and Susie's husband Joe - the four of them were inseparable at university, but Emma has been cut off from the group for years. Watching her try to rebuild that friendship, and gradually uncovering what really caused the fallout, was heartbreaking once Susie's story came to light.

Throughout all of this drama unfolding across multiple timelines, there was still the issue of the little girl - we still didn't know who she was, and that mystery hanging over me kept me completely intrigued, as I couldn't work out how she was going to connect to the bigger picture in Emma's story. I was stunned when the whole truth was revealed. I'd clearly got certain people completely wrong, and the twists were entirely unexpected.

Overall, the pace was a little slower than I usually like, but as it all came together at the end, it was so worth the wait. A fabulous read!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma is finishing off tidying up after her daughter Rose’s birthday party. The party was everything she could have hoped for, apart from her husband disappearing half way through. But then she finds a child she doesn’t recognise in her kitchen, with no sign of her parent. It is then she realises that the child looks just like her husband. Who is the child and are there secrets hidden in their marriage?

I’ve always enjoyed this author’s books, so was pleased to see there was another new one to devour. This one followed the author’s trademark twisty read where nothing is as it seems and I was drawn fully into the intriguing concept straight away, desperate to know what was going on. Saying that, it didn’t end up being fully as I expected, as it quickly felt less about the mystery behind the child and more about the main characters own issues and relationship dynamics, which was a bit disappointing as the premise of this is what I was most looking forward to. Even so, there were still plenty of surprises to help keep it entertaining and wanting to know the outcome kept me turning the pages.

I didn’t particularly connect to the characters, finding many unlikeable and I found the pacing slowed in the middle, picking up again once the story starts to come together. Even though not a favourite of mine my this author, it was still an entertaining, easy read and worth picking up for those looking for a domestic mystery with twists and drama. I will certainly still continue to read more by this author. 3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Child at the Party starts with a striking hook: a little girl left behind after a birthday party, quietly sitting at the table and fixated on a family photo. It’s an eerie, intriguing setup, and the synopsis leans hard into the question of who she is and what her presence might mean for Emma and Phil’s marriage. Oddly, though, the child ends up feeling more like the spark for a story that’s actually about two couples, their tangled histories, and the choices that have led them to this moment.

For me, the reading experience was uneven. The first half felt slow, and I struggled to connect with the backstory that drives so much of the tension. The emotional weight is certainly there added to the domestic turmoil, fractured friendships, and long‑buried mistakes, but I wasn’t fully convinced by how those threads were woven together.

The short chapters and shifting viewpoints do help maintain momentum, adding a layer of domestic suspense that kept me curious enough to continue. But overall, the tone tipped a bit too far into bleakness for my taste. By the end, I found myself more drained than gripped.

A clever premise, some strong structural choices, but ultimately a depressing read that didn’t quite land for me.

[Andria Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by this author so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have recently purchased another book by the author and it's on my tbr list.

In The Child at the Party, Emma have given her daughter Rose a birthday party and at the end of the party while she is cleaning up, she realizes that a child has been left behind. After observing the child, she realizes that the child looks like her husband, could this child be the results of an affair? That got me hooked to want to know what the answers were about that situation and who this child is.

The story is told from the POV's of Emma, her former best friend Susie and her sister Mabel. However, the story kind of veered from it being about this little girl left at the party, but more towards the story about two couples with some complex and tangled histories that go way back. This is filled with drama and chaos, twists and turns, toxic friendships, betrayals, jealousies, and more. I am not going to go into the twists and turns to spoil the story except to say that they were not what I was expecting. I am certainly interested in reading some more of the author's works.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the complimentary copy of the story.

[Adam Forster-Nnachi · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

The start of this book definitely intrigued me. Main character Emma finds herself in a strange situation when a mystery child is left behind after a party at her house.


I wasn't initially drawn to Emma as a character. She is complex and is clearly dealing with a lot - her husband is distant (and doesn't seem to be a nicr guy) and she has a strange and unexplained estrangement from her best friend Susie. 


I wasn't convinced through the first half of the book, but I tried to trust the process. At times it felt like there were too many timelines and I struggled to keep up with what was going on.


Getting to see things from Susie's pov definitely changed the direction of the book. The set up to part 2, when the first major secret is revealed, really made me lock in.


The twists and some of the things that we learn about the characters in the second half of the book more than made up for the slower first half.


My head was absolutely spinning by the end and the pace was so intense. I was desperate to get to the end and was devastated when those pesky adult life responsibilities got in the way when I was mere pages from the end


For me the end was more or less perfect and it was a very satisfying conclusion to the story.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The guests have all left 3 year old Rose's birthday party and Emma is shocked to discover a little girl sitting in her kitchen eating cake. She has no idea who the child belongs to but fully expects a distraught parent to appear to claim her. When nobody arrives Emma starts to think that this could be her husband's child as she did look like him. Emma and her husband Phil are not exactly in a happy marriage and in fact, Phil didn't even stay for his daughter's party. The story was more about the state of Emma and Phil's marriage as well as her one time friend Susie and her husband rather than the child left behind. I must confess that I didn't care for any of the characters in this book and though I'm a fan of Sam Vickery this didn't really work for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity of reading an ARC of this book.

[Heidi Lynn’s BookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I want to thank Sam Vickery, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Oh how I am such a huge fan of Sam Vickery’s books!! Each one of them touches me in a way and pulls on my heart strings. When I heard she had just written The Child at the Party I knew I had to be on her blog tour for it! I’m so glad I did because it was so good!

The Bookouture Graphic Artists continue to impress me with their creative covers! This one was beautiful for The Child at the Party.

The introduction to the character of Billie was one of my favorite storyline. It was one of those outside of the box kind of storylines.

I was not expecting any spicy scenes from this book so of course that forbidden love scene happening threw me off guard.

Overall it is a great read and should be put on your tbr list!

[Morag Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story unfolds across dual timelines. In the present, Emma wrestles with whether to report the unclaimed child to the police, terrified of what the answer might mean — could this be Phil’s secret child, or connected to her in some other way? In the past, we follow Emma’s friendship with another couple, once her closest friends, now estranged after both women’s plans to go through together fell apart. As the past unravels, a sister is drawn into the fallout too, and it becomes clear just how much history — and secrets — sit beneath the surface.

Full of smoke and mirrors, with characters who are never quite who you think they are, this was a gripping, twisty read that kept me guessing right to the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

[DianeLikesToRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was a page turner from the beginning!
This story was not what I expected- but in the best possible way!

The story is told in dual timelines, with the past helping us understand the present.

Emma is having a birthday party for her daughter, Rose. She’s cleaning up and discovers an unknown child there. Instead of calling the police, she has the girl sleep over and takes care of her.

I thought this story was going one way, but it took a one eighty. None of the characters were particularly likable but I had to find out what happened in the end. Sam Vickery did a nice job of tying everything together.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheChildattheParty #SamVickeryBookTour #NetGalley #Bookouture #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BookLove #Bookstagram #SummerRead

[Caitlin Underwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

First, thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC of this book.

I’ll give this book some credit — it’s definitely a page turner and makes you want to know what’s going to happen next! The twists are well executed and the story weaves together well.

However, I’m not sure I loved it. The idea was solid but for me, the story fell flat and I found the characters wholly unlikeable. It felt like a competition of who could hurt who the worst. That said, I think that actually adds to the twistiness of the story, since you weren’t sure what to believe.

This book also does get a little heavy, but does not include trigger warnings. Please proceed with caution.

If you’re looking for a quick page turner with an interesting story and lots of twists and turns, definitely add this one to your TBR!

[LibraryNinja_Beritk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm new to Sam Vickery and I'm so glad I asked for this book. The Child at the Party is the perfect summer thriller. It features lifelong best friends/couples. One family is holding itself together by the seams while another is moving along raising their daughter, Rose. After Rose's birthday party, they find a child left behind. The child eerily looks like her husband- but he's dropped out of sight. This books goes twisty pretty quickly and before you know it, even you're not sure whose child is whose. This is a fantastic book for a weekend read or getaway!

Thank you so much to Bookouture and Kristin Harper for allowing me the opportunity to reach this #Bookouture #SamVickery #bookreccos #libraryninja📚

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Bookouture and Net Galley for an early copy of The Child at the Party. First of all, the cover is an eye-catcher. There are soooo many WOW moments in this book, my head is spinning but in a very good way! Right from the moment Emma found Billie, she did the wrong thing but in the end it was honestly the best for Billie. Phil i didn't like at all and even at the end i didn't like him and his ways. Emma is really evil BUT and this is a big but, I understand in a way because of how her parents had a big influence in how she turned out. The first half of the book is agonizingly slow but stick with it to read the moments that are spinning my head still. Just WOW, WOW, WOW!!!! Thank you again but honestly, I don't love the title and how did Rose's clothes get on Billie?

[A Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!Wow!Wow! I absolutely loved The Child at the Party by Sam Vickery! This wild domestic suspense had me hanging on and frantically reading to know how it was going to turn out.

As the party goers are filing out, Emma notices a child still sitting at the table. No one seems to be missing a child and Emma has never seen her before. Unbeknownst to her, this mystery girl is the catalyst to a giant wrecking ball that is about to shake Emma's entire world.

This book was so full of action and twists, I couldn't catch my breath until the jaw-dropping ending. The characters were well developed and the story was real life. This was my first read by Sam Vickery and I enjoyed it so much I added her other books to my TBR list.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy

[KKEC Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Child at the Party by Sam Vickery
This was diabolical! I wasn’t sure where this was going, but the twist- oh my stars.

The build-up for this plot was so well done. The way the story is told, alternating timelines and narrators, was so smart. It was brilliant watching all the pieces fall into place, and when they did? I was speechless!

Emma was driven. She had ambition, and she was not going to let anything get in her way. Phil was passive. Susie wanted to be a good friend, but guilt has caused her to drink to excess.

This was so well done. I couldn’t put it down. Brilliant writing with delicious storytelling made this book addicting. An absolute must-read!

Publication date: August 13, 2026
Publisher: Bookouture

[Nicola Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. There are so many twists, some expected and some definitely not! Emma wants it all and throughout the book, shows she is willing to do anything to get it, no matter who she has to hurt to get it. She is very single minded, believing that she deserves everything, no matter the cost to others. She is very twisted and manipulative and well written. Susie has paused their friendship but Emma decides she will get it back. Billie is a gorgeous character, I wanted so much more for her. The ending is delicious and exactly what I wanted!
I will definitely look out for more by this author now and hope her other books live up to this one.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so filled with chaos and drama that I can't lie, I honestly forgot about the child at times! There was so much going on that I occasionally forgot that some random kid just showed up at their house and nobody knows who she belongs to. That goes to show the level of chaos here! Lol! The characters were all pretty unlikeable but in an entertaining way. I did not see everything playing out the way that it did and would have never predicted some of the twists...my favorite kind of story!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Jayne Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A twisty thriller, full of suspense, intrigue and drama.
The story starts with a child being left behind after a birthday party, no one claims her or returns for her. Emma thinks the child looks like her husband, and where is her husband? He has been so secret and distant lately.
The story spirals from there, fractured toxic friendships, grief, mistrust, jealousy, long buried betrayals,
This author is skilled at developing the characters and weaving together an action packed read with twisty twists. Expect the unexpected.
A five star read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. I am not sure how to feel about this book. It had me confused, in shock, and just gave me many questions for a good 80% of the time. Which was, I think, exactly its purpose, but that was a bit too much for me.

That being said, I did enjoy this book. I like how the story unravelled and how you were put on false trails, just because you read from different perspectives. The book has a 'current' timeline of less than 24h and mostly flashbacks varying between 2.5 and 7 years before. The small amounts of info you get, kept me reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Bookouture for the ARC in return for my own and honest opinion.