What do you think?
Rate this book
Bailey Family #1
The Christmas Party
A family reunion. A shocking secret. A night to die for…
On a snowy December night, the Bailey family are gathered at an isolated hotel in the English countryside. They’re reuniting for the first time since the accident that shattered their lives ten years ago.
It’s a time for love and forgiveness. But more than one guest has an ulterior motive:
The perfect daughter
The alcoholic
The single mother
The liar
The handsome husband
The adulterer
The beautiful sister
The jealous sibling
The murderer…
As the clock strikes midnight, one member of the party is found dead at the foot of the grand marble staircase.
Everyone is a suspect. But which one of them is a killer?
This completely addictive psychological thriller is packed with chilling twists that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of The Hunting Party and The Chalet.
On a snowy December night, the Bailey family are gathered at an isolated hotel in the English countryside. They’re reuniting for the first time since the accident that shattered their lives ten years ago.
It’s a time for love and forgiveness. But more than one guest has an ulterior motive:
The perfect daughter
The alcoholic
The single mother
The liar
The handsome husband
The adulterer
The beautiful sister
The jealous sibling
The murderer…
As the clock strikes midnight, one member of the party is found dead at the foot of the grand marble staircase.
Everyone is a suspect. But which one of them is a killer?
This completely addictive psychological thriller is packed with chilling twists that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of The Hunting Party and The Chalet.
289 pages, Paperback
First published November 12, 2022
2424 people are currently reading
7997 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 794 reviews
December 19, 2022
This debut would most definitely be classified as a "popcorn thriller." Nothing wrong with them. The short chapters and plot twists make for entertaining reading. I even enjoyed a bowl of popcorn (cheese and caramel mixed -- my favorite) while reading. This was a page-turner. Some compelling plot ingredients were: family conflict, a glitzy holiday party, multiple POVs, and secrets -- lots of secrets. While I really enjoyed this read at times, there was something missing. I think the pacing was off and at times the overlapping POVs were repetitive rather than enlightening. Will I read the second book in this duology: The Winter Escape? Unsure.
January 2, 2023
Well, now I know exactly what Pink means by ‘half assed writing’. Really bland and lacking any emotion, a real yawn fest. Not sure why I ploughed on as I most certainly won’t read the follow up. Nope, not for me.
December 16, 2022
"The Christmas party is over, my home is a crime scene and my husband is dead."
Secluded setting? Check.
Snowed in? Check.
Family drama? Check.
Lies and secrets? Check.
Murder? Check.
Who doesn't love a Christmas themed mystery?
This one was very twisty, with lots of little stories all going on at once and coming together neatly at the end. The surprises kept coming all the way through and it certainly keeps you on your toes. My only issue was the constant changing between POV as we were reading the same scene from two different perspectives a lot of the time so it was a little jumpy.
But overall, an excellent debut novel. I've just found out there is a second book, also set at Christmas so I am off to read that one now.
Secluded setting? Check.
Snowed in? Check.
Family drama? Check.
Lies and secrets? Check.
Murder? Check.
Who doesn't love a Christmas themed mystery?
This one was very twisty, with lots of little stories all going on at once and coming together neatly at the end. The surprises kept coming all the way through and it certainly keeps you on your toes. My only issue was the constant changing between POV as we were reading the same scene from two different perspectives a lot of the time so it was a little jumpy.
But overall, an excellent debut novel. I've just found out there is a second book, also set at Christmas so I am off to read that one now.
December 16, 2024
2.75 ⭐️ I loved the setting for this book and the original set up got my attention right away but it ended up being a little too fast paced in the way that so much would happen so quickly that it felt really hard to follow the storyline at times, so it ended up feeling like we’re trying to fit too much into the amount of pages we have left in the story. Over all it is entertaining but because I kept getting lost it was taking me out of the story.
December 30, 2022
This is the second book I've read by this author in a few weeks. I liked this one but not as much as the other. It was a good thriller but not as much a page-turner for me and I figured out a plot thread relatively early and knew it would be pivotal so it was a bit hard to wait so long for a character to reveal it. The epically dysfunctional family here is a doozy and while I thought this was a bit overlong, I would happily read the sequel due in 2023. Another Christmas holiday with these people is sure to be a ride.
I would recommend this but I definitely recommend reading the author's other book The Christmas Holiday: A totally gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist . I read this via Kindle Unlimited.
I would recommend this but I definitely recommend reading the author's other book The Christmas Holiday: A totally gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist . I read this via Kindle Unlimited.
November 24, 2022
3 stars
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
This was an interesting mystery involving a dysfunctional family, a 5 star hotel in the country and a snow storm. What more do you need for dark family secrets to come out and someone to commit murder?
Ten years ago Erin Bailey was involved in something tragic and instead of receiving comfort from her family, she received blame. Knowing she could not live with her family under those circumstances, Erin leaves town and disappears without a trace. The family has no contact with her until just before Christmas, when each sister, Sasha (married to Jesse with one daughter) and Leah (single and travels the world as an influencer), and the mother, Nadia (widowed for many years), receive an invitation to Erin's Christmas party. Despite their misgivings, the family decides to attend the party, and the craziness begins.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was an interesting story about a messed up family with a lot of hurt feelings. On the other hand, I didn't think there was much mystery to the story. The "tragic" event that was eluded to for the first half of the book was quite a let down and certainly didn't live up to the hype of a "tragedy" in my eyes. After that, the train started going off the rails. Secrets and resentments started flying, whether germane to the storyline or not, and most are never mentioned again.
The pacing was off throughout the book. The first half of the book meandered along, taking time to develop the characters and build resentments against each other. The last part of the book raced along with stuff happening left and right, much of which didn't make sense. The book is told in multiple POVs and it didn't work too well here. It was ok at the beginning of the book when it was a slower pace, but when the book sped up it started to get confusing. We're definitely dealing with one or more unreliable narrators, and some revelations seemed to be thrown in there for shock value alone since they didn't add to the story.
The ending was anti-climatic and left me feeling blah. The book was entertaining, but I'm still not sure what I read. If you want to read a book about a messed up family with a lot of secrets and lots of action, this book is for you.
Thank you to Love Books Tours and the author for my complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
This was an interesting mystery involving a dysfunctional family, a 5 star hotel in the country and a snow storm. What more do you need for dark family secrets to come out and someone to commit murder?
Ten years ago Erin Bailey was involved in something tragic and instead of receiving comfort from her family, she received blame. Knowing she could not live with her family under those circumstances, Erin leaves town and disappears without a trace. The family has no contact with her until just before Christmas, when each sister, Sasha (married to Jesse with one daughter) and Leah (single and travels the world as an influencer), and the mother, Nadia (widowed for many years), receive an invitation to Erin's Christmas party. Despite their misgivings, the family decides to attend the party, and the craziness begins.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was an interesting story about a messed up family with a lot of hurt feelings. On the other hand, I didn't think there was much mystery to the story. The "tragic" event that was eluded to for the first half of the book was quite a let down and certainly didn't live up to the hype of a "tragedy" in my eyes. After that, the train started going off the rails. Secrets and resentments started flying, whether germane to the storyline or not, and most are never mentioned again.
The pacing was off throughout the book. The first half of the book meandered along, taking time to develop the characters and build resentments against each other. The last part of the book raced along with stuff happening left and right, much of which didn't make sense. The book is told in multiple POVs and it didn't work too well here. It was ok at the beginning of the book when it was a slower pace, but when the book sped up it started to get confusing. We're definitely dealing with one or more unreliable narrators, and some revelations seemed to be thrown in there for shock value alone since they didn't add to the story.
The ending was anti-climatic and left me feeling blah. The book was entertaining, but I'm still not sure what I read. If you want to read a book about a messed up family with a lot of secrets and lots of action, this book is for you.
Thank you to Love Books Tours and the author for my complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
November 25, 2022
I actually couldn’t finish this book. I tried so hard and got 68% through it. The constant “hinting” at horrible events from the past was so overdone, the phrasing was often so awkward it pulled me out of the story, and the switching perspectives often repeated information that we already knew from a previous chapter. I don’t like when things are too vague but I also don’t like having things spoon fed to me, there needs to be a balance. Additionally, some of the characters thoughts and actions made so little sense that I felt like I missed something important. I feel a good once over with an editor would have done this book a lot of good.
December 19, 2022
DNF - This one just couldn't hold/grab my attention despite seeing so many positive reviews on here. 😫
I wanted to like it, I did. But none of the characters were relatable or even likeable and the story didn't flow well. Another problem, the author said the words "various social media platforms" no less than 6 or 7 times in the span of about 4 pages. It was...a bit much. Repetition at its finest there. I wanted to scream by that point and knew this book wasn't the one for me.
I wanted to like it, I did. But none of the characters were relatable or even likeable and the story didn't flow well. Another problem, the author said the words "various social media platforms" no less than 6 or 7 times in the span of about 4 pages. It was...a bit much. Repetition at its finest there. I wanted to scream by that point and knew this book wasn't the one for me.
January 23, 2023
Loved this novel until about 85%. Then there were too many plot twists and surprises back to back to back. No. Please stop.
ETA: And then there was this great mystery with one of the sisters. Had me curious the whole fucking book. Whole book I’m like I wonder who’s calling her? Who is harassing her?? Who is she afraid of?? Dude!!!! Why is it “explained” in a fucking paragraph! A!! One!!!!!!
That made me delete a whole nother star. And yes. I said it that way. Gtfoi 💅🏾
ETA: And then there was this great mystery with one of the sisters. Had me curious the whole fucking book. Whole book I’m like I wonder who’s calling her? Who is harassing her?? Who is she afraid of?? Dude!!!! Why is it “explained” in a fucking paragraph! A!! One!!!!!!
That made me delete a whole nother star. And yes. I said it that way. Gtfoi 💅🏾
December 12, 2023
2.5 ⭐️ Mehh.. would not recommend. The writing was weird, the main couple was named Erin and Aaron (wtf?!), and the twists weren’t that shocking. Thank goodness for the short chapters and short book.
December 27, 2022
A great Christmas mystery! Not all those who attend the party will make it out alive.
Erin and Aaron(eye roll) are having their annual fancy party and Erin wants to invite her estranged family to kiss and make up.. and also rub her success in their faces.
They decide to give it a whirl but as they settle in to Erin's winter wonderland hotel, they start to think Erin could have different motives for the invitations.
This had cozy mystery vibes but not too cheesy. I liked it and want to check out more by this author now.
Erin and Aaron(eye roll) are having their annual fancy party and Erin wants to invite her estranged family to kiss and make up.. and also rub her success in their faces.
They decide to give it a whirl but as they settle in to Erin's winter wonderland hotel, they start to think Erin could have different motives for the invitations.
This had cozy mystery vibes but not too cheesy. I liked it and want to check out more by this author now.
August 31, 2024
Repetitive, not very well written, and overall a very mediocre book
Book club book #3
Book club book #3
January 1, 2024
Really wasn’t sure I was going to make it through this before the year ended, but here I am at 10:15 on NYE and can pat myself on the back for trudging through this borefest.
December 18, 2024
This was certainly not addictive and there were no jaw-dropping twists 🤪 Very meh and I’m kind of sad I even wasted my time pushing through to finish
December 20, 2023
Easy read and very predictable.
December 3, 2022
Thank you @lovebooktours and @Mikayla Davids for letting me part of this tour and reviewing this book.
Christmas party is Psychological Thriller.
The christmas party is good psychological thriller that had me hooke from the begining. I could not put it down. I had a thought about what might happen but was susprised with all the secrets that all came out. My favaraite charater was Leah out of the three sisters she seemed the most real and likeable. I did not like Erin at all she seems a vindictive person and was just out for herself. This book did not disappoint and kept you on tender hooks. Great plot and great writing 5 stars.
Christmas party is Psychological Thriller.
The christmas party is good psychological thriller that had me hooke from the begining. I could not put it down. I had a thought about what might happen but was susprised with all the secrets that all came out. My favaraite charater was Leah out of the three sisters she seemed the most real and likeable. I did not like Erin at all she seems a vindictive person and was just out for herself. This book did not disappoint and kept you on tender hooks. Great plot and great writing 5 stars.
October 22, 2024
This book had me absolutely enthralled! Who knew one small family could have so many life altering secrets! I read this book in a matter of hours because I just couldn’t get enough of the drama and the surprising revelations. When I say surprising, I really mean it. There were things I definitely did NOT see coming! By the time I got to the end I was so ready to start the next installment!
January 1, 2024
The short chapters and twists and turns made this a very easy read. A solid storyline, an open ending leading onto book two and a great writing style.
Eagerly moving onto book two and book three is already on pre-order! An excellent start to 2024 reading and my own personal challenge to read new authors as well as relying on my favourites and to read more series in 2024!
Recommend for an easy, exciting read!
Eagerly moving onto book two and book three is already on pre-order! An excellent start to 2024 reading and my own personal challenge to read new authors as well as relying on my favourites and to read more series in 2024!
Recommend for an easy, exciting read!
November 29, 2022
TBH, I found this book very boring. Too many meaningless secrets revealed in the last pages. Moreover, the author was repeating her lines. I found whole stanza of four lines being written twice. And I read the characters emoting same feelings and emotions repeating in the latter half of the book. Book was too long. I thought this book would be interesting to read but it is very loosely written.
December 24, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up
I hadn’t heard of this book or author, but was excited to have come across it by searching “Christmas thriller” on Kindle. It’s only about 250 pages, with short chapters and multiple POVs. I loved that it was set a few days before Christmas in the snowy English countryside. However, it was a bit repetitive, and some of the names got confusing: Nadia and Nia for example, plus Erin and Aaron 😂. All in all, I thought this was a decent popcorn thriller. It’s not a must read, but it was entertaining enough with a solid twist. Christmas thrillers are hard to come by, so I appreciated that aspect of it. Davids has another festive thriller that is also available on Kindle Unlimited, The Christmas Holiday - I probably won’t get to it this year, but I am glad to have it to look forward to next holiday season!
I hadn’t heard of this book or author, but was excited to have come across it by searching “Christmas thriller” on Kindle. It’s only about 250 pages, with short chapters and multiple POVs. I loved that it was set a few days before Christmas in the snowy English countryside. However, it was a bit repetitive, and some of the names got confusing: Nadia and Nia for example, plus Erin and Aaron 😂. All in all, I thought this was a decent popcorn thriller. It’s not a must read, but it was entertaining enough with a solid twist. Christmas thrillers are hard to come by, so I appreciated that aspect of it. Davids has another festive thriller that is also available on Kindle Unlimited, The Christmas Holiday - I probably won’t get to it this year, but I am glad to have it to look forward to next holiday season!
December 19, 2023
Great book!
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well written. I did feel it was a little long and stretched. Still, it was very fun to read and I can't wait to read the sequel.
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well written. I did feel it was a little long and stretched. Still, it was very fun to read and I can't wait to read the sequel.
December 5, 2022
Where do I start with this book, I can't believe this was a debut novel. The Christmas Party has everything I never knew I wanted in a Christmas thriller. Reading this book was an absolute delight and couldn't put it down.
The story takes us to a remote and gorgeous hotel in the English countryside. We meet our protagonists one by one, and they all get the same mysterious letter inviting them to this isolated manor. The entire family has been estranged for ten years, and they are certain that this is a blessing in disguise. The Bailey family has many secrets, and each one is willing to do anything to keep them that way. I absolutely am head over heels obsessed with Mikayla's writing. I love it when books just won't stop giving you twists after twist, and this was absolutely chaotic, and I was living for it.
The story takes us to a remote and gorgeous hotel in the English countryside. We meet our protagonists one by one, and they all get the same mysterious letter inviting them to this isolated manor. The entire family has been estranged for ten years, and they are certain that this is a blessing in disguise. The Bailey family has many secrets, and each one is willing to do anything to keep them that way. I absolutely am head over heels obsessed with Mikayla's writing. I love it when books just won't stop giving you twists after twist, and this was absolutely chaotic, and I was living for it.
December 17, 2022
Ten years ago, an accident happened and it caused a major rift in the Bailey Family with the middle daughter not contacting her family for ten years. Now ten years later, the middle daughter wants to be reunited with her family and has some other plans up her sleeve for the evening. Ten years on, Erin has done well for herself by marrying up and securing her future by having two children with her husband. It's their annual Christmas Party and this time, Erin has sent invitations to her mother Nadia, her sister Leah and her sister Sasha and her husband Jesse. Nadia and Leah are looking forward to the reunion but older sister Sasha isn't convinced and I have to admit I hated her character as she was a wet blanket kind of character and needed to get over herself as if anyone should be hurt still and angry it would be Leah as she was the one scarred forever by that fateful evening or Nadia who found herself stuck between her daughters and had to make a decision of her to support knowing she would lose one daughter to save the others. At the Christmas party, it takes a nasty turn as a dead body turns up and the finger is pointing towards one of the Bailey sisters, can Nadia do the right thing again to protect her daughters by twisting the narrative? Find out in The Christmas Party by Mikayla Davids and now I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series - The Christmas Holiday.
November 26, 2022
Absolutely a 5 star book!
An estranged family reunited, an isolated hotel, an accident that devastated their lives ten years ago….what could go wrong!!!
I was very excited to read this novel by brand new author Mikayla Davids, and WOW it didn’t disappoint!
Perfectly set for this time of year, it excellently portrays the scene of a Magical Christmas Party. The imagery is vivid, and the setting of the scene on a cold, snowy night adds to the overall atmosphere of the book.
The story is told from the point of view of five of the main characters. Each character is perfectly drawn, making the way the story unfolds easy to follow. This is testament to the excellent writing skills of Davids, as it’s hard to put a book like this together and she absolutely nails it.
There are so many twists in this psychological thriller, that you absolutely won’t see coming. They really do come at you thick and fast towards the end. Who will you trust??!!
This is an absolutely brilliant novel from an exciting new author. It is fast paced and engaging, full of tension and it drew me right in! I’d definitely recommend giving it a try.,
I cannot wait to hear what the characters are up to in the next instalment.
An estranged family reunited, an isolated hotel, an accident that devastated their lives ten years ago….what could go wrong!!!
I was very excited to read this novel by brand new author Mikayla Davids, and WOW it didn’t disappoint!
Perfectly set for this time of year, it excellently portrays the scene of a Magical Christmas Party. The imagery is vivid, and the setting of the scene on a cold, snowy night adds to the overall atmosphere of the book.
The story is told from the point of view of five of the main characters. Each character is perfectly drawn, making the way the story unfolds easy to follow. This is testament to the excellent writing skills of Davids, as it’s hard to put a book like this together and she absolutely nails it.
There are so many twists in this psychological thriller, that you absolutely won’t see coming. They really do come at you thick and fast towards the end. Who will you trust??!!
This is an absolutely brilliant novel from an exciting new author. It is fast paced and engaging, full of tension and it drew me right in! I’d definitely recommend giving it a try.,
I cannot wait to hear what the characters are up to in the next instalment.
December 12, 2023
So not quite 4 star worthy unfortunately as took along time to get into the plot and drama .
That's not to say it wasn't a good book because it was .It's the second one of this authors books I've read and enjoyed.
It's about three sisters and the secrets they keep along with their mum who also has secrets of her own and is always looking out for her girls .
Erin ,Leah and Sasha are sisters but Leah and Sasha haven't seen or spoken to Erin in ten years since a tragic accident happened and caused a rift .
Erin decides it's time to build bridges and invites her sisters and mum to her annual Christmas party at her hotel but things don't quite as well as she would have liked .
Secrets are revealed and a murder will either destroy them or make them stronger I won't spoil it .
That's not to say it wasn't a good book because it was .It's the second one of this authors books I've read and enjoyed.
It's about three sisters and the secrets they keep along with their mum who also has secrets of her own and is always looking out for her girls .
Erin ,Leah and Sasha are sisters but Leah and Sasha haven't seen or spoken to Erin in ten years since a tragic accident happened and caused a rift .
Erin decides it's time to build bridges and invites her sisters and mum to her annual Christmas party at her hotel but things don't quite as well as she would have liked .
Secrets are revealed and a murder will either destroy them or make them stronger I won't spoil it .
January 12, 2023
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. I thought it was ok. Had a lot of potential but was very repetitive in a lot of areas. However, I really liked the epilogue and how it went through all characters point of view at the end.
February 5, 2025
A fully gripping family thriller set at Christmas. Secrets and plans and plots and who is doing what and why... Told effectively thru 5 different POVs.
You'll likely be hooked to want to read/listen to book 2 :)
You'll likely be hooked to want to read/listen to book 2 :)
November 18, 2022
Loved this book, full of twists and turns, and the “jaw dropping twist” tagline definitely doesn’t disappoint! If you’re a fan of Lucy Foley books you’ll love this!
December 9, 2023
It was a good book but extremely slow… I love a good slow burn but damn this was extremely slow. Extra slow. The most slow. 😂😂
Displaying 1 - 30 of 794 reviews