The Party Crasher A Novel

"This family may be broken. It may be shattered. But it's my broken, shattered family. And I want to be here, I finally admit to myself. To be at the party, even if I'm invisible. This is the last hurrah, even if no one's cheering." I decided to pick up this book when I want something light and easy to read. I've enjoyed Sophie Kinsella's books in the past, so I was pretty excited to read her newly released book. After I'm done reading, I can safely say that The Party Crasher is definitely the kind of book I was hoping it would be. Reading this book made me feel like I was watching a family / romantic-comedy movie that I can just sit back and enjoy. There are some parts that made me laugh and also some moments that warms my heart. The plot itself is rather simple—which doesn't require a lot of thinking, and some aspects of the story are quite predictable; but I found myself having a good time whilst reading this book from start to finish. "My mind roams over all my family members. All keeping secrets. From one another or from the world. Mimi and Dad... Krista and Dad... Gus and Romilly... Bean... Everyone's hiding something from someone." "And I don't know if it's the bright light or what, but they suddenly seem like a load of Russian dolls to me, lined up around the table. All hiding their inner layers. All protecting their secrets, whether it's behind glossy smiles or sunglasses or under straw hats. Or simply with lies." The whole story is written from first-person POV of the main character, Effie. It begins by introducing us to her whole family during the Christmas season. But the image of their happy family was suddenly shattered when her parents suddenly announced that they are getting divorced. 18 months later, Effie still struggled with the aftermath of her parents' divorce. To make things worse, Effie gradually became distant with her father after he had a new (and younger) girlfriend named Krista. The main event in this whole story is a "house-cooling" party that Krista arranged after she managed to sell Effie's childhood home that holds so many memories of their family. Initially, Effie didn't want to come to the party even though her siblings begged her to. Things start to get interesting and funny when she decided to sneak in because Effie had to retrieve her childhood treasure that's still left hidden in the house. While she lurked around the house, that's when Effie discovered some things about her family that she didn't know about. A huge part of the plot focuses on the family issue and how they're slowly confronting the problems that has been piling up ever since their parents got divorced. I love how the author slowly revealed the mystery behind each family members one-by-one, which makes the story a little bit more intriguing. The way the story is narrated also helps me sympathize with Effie and understand her feelings better. I especially liked Effie's character development and how she's resolved to finally fix her relationship with her family—which is truly commendable. Another aspect of the story is Effie's romance with her ex-boyfriend, Joe—who's apparently one of the guests in the "house-cooling" party. Joe is incredibly charming and witty, which makes his character so easy to love. There are some laugh out loud moments when Joe was trying to cover for Effie, especially when he teamed up with Bean—Effie's sister. Those moments when they both defended Effie during the party were really sweet and heartwarming. I have to applaud their sincere love towards Effie even when she's being ridiculous and can be embarrassing at times 🤣. I'm actually quite sad because the romance is only a small part of the story because I wanted more Joe and his interaction with Effie. "But it's the same. You can't fix something if you're hiding from it." As I've said earlier, The Party Crasher is feel-good story that warms my heart and managed to put a smile on my face 😊. At the end of this book, we also learn that there's always two sides to every story—which will enable us to see the bigger picture and understand why some people act they way they do. Almost all of the characters in this story changed for the better—which can be encouraging for readers who might be experiencing the same things that these characters did. Overall, this book is an entertaining read even though the plot itself might not be particularly unique. I think Sophie Kinsella is my go-to author whenever I need something to make me laugh and have a good time 😉. "Everything inside me has shifted. I'm stronger. Not only am I able to let go, I'm happy to let go. I'm focused on the future." Read my full review here: http://www.thebookielooker.com/2021/1...

This book is just fun. It’s so brilliantly entertaining. It’s so comforting to read. It’s so... Sophie Kinsella. If you’re looking for a book to cheer you up, The Party Crasher will make a great pick. The Party Crasher is a nice mix of hilarity, romance, self-discovery, and mystery, all within a dysfunctional family and a quirky house. After her parents’ divorce, Effie feels more lost than ever. Then to add to her grief, she learns she must say goodbye to her childhood home. Her dad’s new (and younger) girlfriend, Krista, is throwing the “house cooling” party, but Effie’s invite is different to the others. It’s an anti-invite. So instead of attending the party as a guest and gathering the rest of her belongings like her siblings, Effie sneaks in. Bumping into her ex was a confrontation she knew she wasn’t ready for, but the rest of the family’s admissions force Effie to realise she was further in the shadows than she realised. The great thing about a Sophie Kinsella book is that you know you’ll get a relatable character with a good sense of humour. The protagonist, Effie, has a good-natured disposition and is easy to follow. She’s lovable and the story really shines from her point of view. But my favourite character is her older sister, Bean. While her role is the voice of reason, I also found her to be the best-written personality and looked forward to her appearances in the story. Additionally, their brother Gus contributes pleasingly to the sibling bond, and is a source of hilarity in his own way. Romance feels second to self-discovery in this novel but I like the way both themes work together to develop Effie’s character. She’s the youngest sibling, so the revelations hit her hard and Kinsella writes heartache and other heavy emotions in a way that feels tender to the reader. It’s slow to get started, but once the party comes to life, the fast-paced excitement begins. Occasionally, the plot felt a bit silly and Effie can be quite childish. I also thought the conclusion for Krista’s character could have been more gratifying following her exploits earlier in the story. Nevertheless, The Party Crasher is a really pleasurable read. I flew through the pages in two sittings, and found it to be a difficult book to put down. The dialogue is witty, the twists are engaging, and the writing is just as charming as ever. Kinsella strikes again!

This was the perfect light reading to start my vacation off! At first, when we meet Effie, she began having some "wacky hi-jinx" and an almost naive persona about her. Remind you of another Sophie Kinsella character (ahem - Becky from the Shopaholic series)? This made me nervous, as I didn't want to read another Becky book. But fear not - Effie stands strong on her own and moves past the wacky parts quickly. I found myself laughing at certain parts, and struggling to figure out the secrets that Effie's family members were hiding along with Effie. It was lovely to see the journey that Effie took, not only to her old family house, but also emotionally as she begins to really grow up, along with her brother and sister. The Party Crasher is out on October 12th here in the US! Make sure to pick up a copy. Thank you to the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy for review (all opinions are my own)!