Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox (July 1, 2025) Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Minotaur Books for the gifted advanced listening copy!
Outside San Antonio, Texas, there’s a stunning mansion known to locals as “The Dollhouse.” Once lavish and then rundown, the Matthews family restored it to modern glory. They replaced the back wall with glass, so when the lights are on, you can see into every room, like a real-life dollhouse perched on the hill. Tonight, it’s Sophie Matthews’ sweet 16 party, and the whole town has turned out to celebrate. No expense spared. But just before Sophie blows out her candles, someone falls from the balcony to the patio below.
Told through multiple perspectives (Sophie, her best friend, her mom, her stepmom, and the nanny of Sophie’s infant sister), this story weaves together the secrets, fears, and tangled relationships that led to that moment. The narrative flips between past and present, adding to the suspense. Every character is more complicated than they first appear, and as the story progresses, their messy connections grow even more entangled. I was completely hooked! The twists are very well executed – I actually said “Oh, $hit!” out loud when one of them hit me!
🎧 Audiobook Notes 🎧 The cast performance featuring Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld, and Suzy Jackson is phenomenal. They bring these complex characters to life in such a vivid, distinct way. The multiple narrators perfectly match the structure of the book, making it an absolutely bingeable listen.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Audio Performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Smart Kate 