The Party by Robyn Harding

Hello my lovely readers!

Oh boy, this book was a disappointment. I had it on my shelf for a few years and was looking for a quick read. It certainly passed by quickly, but this book left me with more questions than answers and deeply unsatisfied. Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS

Sweet sixteen. It's a coming of age, a milestone, a rite of passage. Of course Jeff and Kim Sanders will throw a party for their daughter, Hannah. She's a good kid with good grades and nice friends. And it isn't going to be a big, indulgent affair. Just four girls coming over for pizza and cake, movies and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?

But things do go wrong, horrifically wrong. After a tragic accident, Jeff and Kim's flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb begins to unravel. The injured girl's mother, Lisa, files a lawsuit that turns friends into enemies, reveals dark secrets in the Sanders' marriage, and exposes the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah. Lisa's determination to make the Sanders pay stems from a fierce love for her only child and Lisa's own dark and damaged past.

MY THOUGHTS

This book was terrible. I usually would DNF books like this, but I wanted to see what "dark secrets" emerged. Spoiler alert: there were no "dark secrets."

This book should've been about the atrocious things that rich white people do to each other. It should've been all the messy rich white people drama that I usually enjoy (i.e. Gossip Girl-the show, haven't read the books yet)

For starters, none of the characters were likable. Kim is a strict mother, Jeff loves to workout and once tried LSD. Hannah could've been salvaged but the author gave her no depth. 

Lauren was the "mean girl" but there wasn't much exploration as to WHY she's that way except the lazy trope of  divorced parents, evil stepmother, spoiled child...and even with that trope, Robyn Harding didn't really explore Lauren's thought process or feelings. Also, the "Mean Girls" social hierarchy in the book was forced, ridiculous and incredibly juvenile. All the teenagers were written as one-dimensional, stereotypical teenagers. "OMG, what are you looking at loser?" Come on....I think teenagers in books deserve a bit more respect.

When it was revealed what happened at the party, I was still left scratching my head on why and what actually happened....and again WHY? There was no climax and the book ended revisiting the "Mean Girls" social hierarchy again when the rest of the book had nothing to do with it.

The writing style was completely generic and I was left disappointed.  I'm upset I wasted my time reading this.